
Class_3K\n25 
Copyright N° _ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



THE 



LIFE WORK 



OF 



MRS. CHARLOTTE FANNING 



Edited by 

EMMA PAGE 



nashville, tenn. 
McQuiddy Printing Company 

1907 



-f^ 



wfc 



V 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Twe Cooies Received 

PfB 28 190r 

CLASS A XX&,No. 

J to X 1t(. 
COPY B. 



Copyright, 1907, 
M'QUIDDT PRIXTIXG COMPANY. 




MRS. CHARLOTTE FANNING. 




EMMA PAGE. 



CONTENTS. 

Chapter I. 

Introduction 9 

Chapter II. 

Her Life 15 

Chapter III. 
Her Character 27 

Chapter IV. 
Suggestions to Girls 39 

Chapter V. 
To Boys 53 

Chapter VI. 

Husbands and Wives 67 

Chapter VII. 
The Training of Children 79 

Chapter VIII. 
The English Bible . 89 

Chapter IX. 

The Story of Redemption 109 



8 Contents. 

Chapter X. 
The Highway of Holiness 125 

Chapter XL 
Prayer 137 

Chapter XII. 
Doing Good 149 

Chapter XIII. 
The Sabbath and the Lord's Day 161 

Chapter XIV. 
The Fanning Orphan School 175 

Chapter XV. 
The Roll of Honor 183 

Chapter XVI. 
Conclusion 197 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

~SLrs. Charlotte Fanning Frontispiece 

Emma Page Frontispiece 

Tolbert Fanning 14 

The Tomb in " the Circle " 26 

A. J. Fanning 38 

The Fanning Orphan School — 1884 , 52 

The New Building 66 

The Fanning Orphan School — 1906 78 

Trustees of the Fanning Orphan School — 1906. 88 

David Lipscomb, Jr., Superintendent 108 

Front Hall of the New Building 124 

The Dining Room 136 

The Sewing Room 148 

The Spring House 160 

The Baptistery 174 

The Pasture 182 

The Dairy 196 



CHAPTER I. 



Introduction. 

During the forty years just preceding her death, 
Mrs. Charlotte Fanning occasionally wrote articles 
that were published in the Gospel Advocate, or the 
Religious Historian during the brief period of its 
publication. Many who read and appreciated those 
articles desired to have her writings in a more 
permanent form. They were especially appreciated 
by many of the girls who were trained at Franklin 
College or Hope Institute, under the personal care 
of Mrs. Fanning, and who, having since that time 
personally met the perplexities and discourage- 
ments incident to the training of children, realized 
how helpful those articles would be in molding the 
character of their daughters. 

The idea of embodying her writings in a volume 
was often suggested to Mrs. Fanning, but she 
placed a very modest estimate upon the value of 
her own productions, and seemed to doubt that her 
articles were worthy of republication. 

Soon after her death, which occurred August 15, 
1896, there appeared in the Gospel Advocate a brief 
sketch of her life, written by David Lipscomb. 
That sketch contained, among other good things, 
the following : " Sister Fanning wrote for publica- 
tion for' fifty years, more or less. Her articles were 
always short and pointed, pure in thought, puri- 
fying the heart and cultivating reverence toward 
God, love and good will to men. The style, like the 



10 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

matter, was pure and the articles interesting and 
helpful. It was often suggested to her to collect a 
number of these articles and publish them in a vol- 
ume. Her unobtrusiveness prevented her doing so. 
Others have spoken of making the collection for 
her. I hope that it will yet be done, that the good 
done through her writings may be perpetuated 
after she has gone from earth." 

That suggestion was not acted upon at that time, 
and no steps were taken to collect and publish her 
writings until recently. A reunion of the teachers, 
students and friends of Elm Crag, Franklin College, 
Minerva College and Hope Institute — the schools 
with which Mr. and Mrs. Fanning were connected — 
was held May 25, 1904, in the new building of the 
Fanning Orphan School, which stands near the 
grounds where each of those historic schools was 
founded, flourished and passed away. On that oc- 
casion, addresses and short talks were made by 
many prominent members of the church of Christ — 
teachers, students and friends of those schools of 
former days. Their happy reminiscences and rec- 
ollections revived the memory of the great work 
done by Tolbert and Charlotte Fanning and those 
associated with them in their schools, and awoke 
in many hearts an appreciation of influences that 
have been potent and far-reaching factors for good 
during all the years since those teachers labored, 
with heart and brain, for the interest of the young 
people under their care. 

That reunion and the memories it revived cre- 
ated a demand for a book concerning the work of 
Mr. and Mrs. Fanning, and in a short time there- 
after J. E. Scobey undertook the work of collecting 
and arranging in a volume many things of interest 



Introduction. 1 1 

relating to the work of Franklin College and other 
schools conducted by them. That book — " Frank- 
lin College and Its Influences " — has recently come 
from the press and is being circulated all over the 
country. It is deeply interesting, and cannot fail 
to prove a blessing to all who carefully and ear- 
nestly read it. It brings before its readers the 
eventful lives of many of the brave souls who stood 
in the front rank of the Reformation movement in 
our country and labored earnestly to bring about 
a return to God's order of work and worship as re- 
vealed in the New Testament. The knowledge of 
their anxious search for truth and their fearless 
proclamation of it should arouse in our hearts a 
determination to walk in the light toward which 
they struggled and hold fast to the truth they re- 
joiced to learn. 

That book, being devoted principally to the work 
of Tolbert Fanning and others associated with him - 
or connected with Franklin College, could, of neces- 
sity, give only a little space to Mrs. Fanning's writ- 
ings. It contains a full biography of her, written 
by Brother Scobey, and many beautiful tributes to 
her character from many different sources, but lack 
of space forbade the insertion of many articles from 
her pen. Soon after the second reunion of teach- 
ers, students and friends of the various Fanning 
schools, which was held May 30, 1905, it was sug- 
gested by friends of Mrs. Fanning that a volume 
of her writings be prepared and given to the world, 
and the work of selecting and arranging the arti- 
cles and editing the book was intrusted to me. 

Whatsoever qualifications I may have lacked for 
doing that work, I possessed one: I loved Mrs. 
Fanning. She won my affection by her motherly 



12 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

kindness to me — a shy, lonely, homesick girl — dur- 
ing the first few weeks of my school days at Hope 
Institute, long ago. I was a pupil in the school 
when Mr. Fanning died, and my heart was filled 
with deep sympathy for her in that time of bitter 
sorrow. Ten years later I went back to the old 
Hope Institute building, as teacher of the Fanning 
Orphan School, then recently established. I was 
very closely associated with her a year, and during 
that time I learned to understand and appreciate 
more than ever before the beauty of her Christian 
character — her sweetness of manner, her firmness, 
her unfailing charity toward the failings of others, 
her earnest desire to help every soul with whom 
she came in contact to attain to lofty motives and 
upright life. I am glad to aid, in any way, in per- 
petuating the influence of such a life as hers. 

Some of the material used in this volume was ob- 
tained from bound volumes of the Gospel Advocate 
and the Religious Historian, but the greater part 
of it was gleaned from an old scrapbook in which 
Airs. Fanning herself pasted many of her published 
articles. Mrs. Eleanor R. Fanning, to whom that 
book belongs, very kindly lent it to me, and to her 
and other friends I am indebted for letters, mate- 
rial, etc., used herein. In a few instances I have 
taken the liberty of combining two similar articles 
into one, because each contained thoughts I was 
unwilling to omit, and there was too much simi- 
larity between them to allow the insertion of both. 
To some chapters a poem that seemed especially 
fit has been added, because poetry has, for me, a 
peculiar charm and impressiveness. 

This book is not intended to occupy the field al- 
ready so well filled by " Franklin College and Its 



Introduction. 13 

Influences." Its purpose is to give the youth of 
this and, perhaps, coining, generations more of Mrs. 
Fanning's writings than the larger book, with its 
varied subjects, could embody. It will, I trust, 
supplement the work of that grand book, not un- 
like the way in which Mrs. Fanning's quiet, modest 
work supplemented the grand work done by Mr. 
Fanning. In comparing the work of those two, 
Brother Scobey says, " He could preach, she could 
sing; he could argue, she could persuade;" and 
that comparison, or contrast, fits, in some measure, 
the respective purposes of this modest volume and 
that of Brother Scobey's broader, fuller book. 

Mrs. Fanning's writings are impressive because 
of their earnestness, their truth, their purity. They 
are doubly impressive to all who came under her 
influence and knew her well, because she practiced 
exactly as she preached. Her published thoughts 
were fitly photographed and illustrated by her daily 
life. To that one fact is due much of the wonder- 
ful influence she wielded. If this book shall serve 
to widen and perpetuate that influence, it cannot 
fail to accomplish good. 




TOI^BKRT FANNING. 



CHAPTER II. 



Her Life. 

Charlotte Fall was born, near London, England, 
April 10, 1809. She was one of the older children 
of a large family. The family removed to America 
during her childhood, and settled in Kentucky. 
Soon after their arrival in the land of their adop- 
tion, both the father and the mother died, and 
thus the family was left fatherless and moth- 
erless, strangers in a strange land. The old- 
est son, Philip S. Fall — afterwards one of the 
best-known and best-loved preachers among the 
disciples in the South — assumed charge of the fam- 
ily. He was a teacher of marked ability, and under 
his tuition his sister Charlotte's natural fitness for 
the work of a teacher was fully developed. She 
began teaching at an early age. She taught near 
Nashville, in private families, and later in the Nash- 
ville Female Academy, at that time one of the best 
schools for girls in the South. 

While teaching in- Nashville, she met Tolbert 
Fanning, a rising young preacher. He had been 
married, but his wife had lived only a short time 
after their marriage. He was a graduate of the 
University of Nashville, and was attracting favor- 
able attention by his force of character, backed by 
fine literary attainments. He and Charlotte Fall 
were mutually attracted, and erelong — December 
25, 1836 — they were married. 

Early in 1837 — within a month after their mar- 



16 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

riage — they opened a school in Franklin, Tenn. 
Both taught in the school, and on Sundays Mr. 
Fanning preached either in Franklin or the sur- 
rounding country. During vacations he held meet- 
ings, usually accompanied and assisted by his wife, 
he doing the preaching, she leading in singing. 
They remained in Franklin three years, and the 
town and its vicinity still feel the influence of their 
labors, in both, the schoolroom and the church. 
Many girls who have since made good wives and 
mothers received training at their hands, and the 
little struggling congregation which Mr. Fanning 
had previously formed there was firmly established 
under his preaching. 

They removed from Franklin and purchased Elm 
Crag, about five miles east of Nashville, Tenn. 
They opened a school there in 1840, and taught 
two years, with such marked success that they de- 
cided to erect larger buildings and open a manual- 
labor school. They believed young people could 
devote three or four hours a day to manual labor 
and make as good progress in literary branches as 
they could without that manual labor, and that the 
work they should perform could be so applied as to 
pay the expenses of the students. In pursuance of 
this idea, Franklin College was built and opened 
for students in January, 1845. It was a large, com- 
modious building, capable of housing two hundred 
students and furnishing recitation rooms, chapel 
and two society rooms. Near the college was the 
residence of Mr. Fanning, and connected with it 
was a pleasant schoolroom, where Mrs. Fanning 
taught young ladies. 

The college opened with fifty students, and its 
first six-months' session closed with one hundred 



Her Life. 17 

and fifty enrolled. Young men were there taught 
not only to study, but also to work with their own 
hands, and many paid their way through college 
by that means. It was not a coeducational school. 
The college and the girls' school were separate in- 
stitutions, under the same head. During their last 
year at -school, however, Mrs. Fanning's pupils re- 
cited to Mr. Fanning, with the senior class in the 
college. The manual-labor department was dis- 
continued after. three years, not because Mr. and 
Mrs. Fanning ceased to consider it advantageous, 
but because of the difficulty of securing teachers 
who were in sympathy with the plan and willing 
to do the work it imposed upon them, and for other 
reasons. 

Franklin College soon became the leading school 
in the South among the disciples. Young men who 
expected to make preaching their life work were 
offered all the benefits of the institution free, and 
many prominent preachers of the church of Christ 
were educated there. 

About three hundred yards east of Franklin Col- 
lege a large brick building was erected, by Sandy 
E. Jones and his wife, for a school for girls, and 
that school — Minerva College — Franklin College 
and Mrs. Fanning's school for girls afforded the 
very best educational advantages to the young peo- 
ple who came from far and near to attend them. 
Their prosperity continued unabated till the break- 
ing out of the Civil War ended, for a time, all edu- 
cational work. Many students of Franklin College 
enlisted in the Confederate army, and school work 
there, and elsewhere, ceased. 

In the fall of 1865 Franklin College reopened for 
students, but in October the buildings, including 



18 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Mr. Farming's residence and Mrs. Fanning's school- 
room, were burned. Franklin College was not re- 
built, but Mr. and Mrs. Fanning did not cease to 
teach. They purchased Minerva College, chris- 
tened it Hope Institute, and in 1866 opened there 
a school for girls. A. J. Fanning — a brother of 
Tolbert Fanning and one of the professors in 
Franklin College — conducted, in the buildings left 
standing on the grounds of Franklin College, a 
mathematical and classical school for boys, and that 
community was again an educational center. 

In all the years of her busy, useful life, Mrs. Fan- 
ning was never busier, I presume, than she was dur- 
ing the eight years Hope Institute was conducted. 
Mr. Fanning, at that time, " had many irons in the 
fire," and Mrs. Fanning assisted in the handling 
of most of those irons. He conducted the school, 
preached, edited the Religious Historian and looked 
after his farm and live stock. She taught in the 
school, wrote regularly for the Historian, looked 
after her household affairs — kitchen, dairy and 
pantry — cultivated her flowers and visited the sick 
in the neighborhood. She was always busy and 
always cheerful ; never too busy, however, to help 
one of her girls over a hard place, and always ready 
to offer gentle sympathy to a sorrowing friend. 

Mr. Fanning passed away May 3, 1874, after an 
illness of only a few days. Mrs. Fanning was ut- 
terly prostrated with grief, and felt unable to con- 
tinue the school the remaining month of the ses- 
sion. Two of her former pupils — Miss Fanny Cole 
and Miss Pattie Hill — offered their services as 
teachers, and she gratefully accepted the offer. Un- 
der their care the school went on quietly the re- 



Her Life. 19 

mainder of the term, and closed without the usual 
commencement exercises. 

Mrs. Fanning did not reopen the school, but con- 
tinued to live in the Hope Institute building. She 
usually had with her there some friend — and often 
two — usually young girls whom she taught. She 
looked after the needs of her small household, wrote 
to absent friends, contributed occasionally to the 
Gospel Advocate and taught the young girls who 
lived with her — living a quiet, busy, useful life. 

It had long been the earnest desire of both her- 
self and her husband to devote their means to the 
education of young people. They were childless. 
They had had long experience in teaching, and it 
was the cherished belief of both that manual train- 
ing should form part of the education of every boy 
and girl, whether rich or poor. In his will, made 
shortly before his death, Mr. Fanning gave his 
property to his wife, expressing confidence that she 
would carry out his wishes in regard to it. She 
determined to devote that property to founding a 
home for orphan girls, where they should be given 
a good literary education and trained in all domes- 
tic arts. 

It was at first her intention to retain the prop- 
erty in her own hands and give it by will for the 
purpose of establishing such a school, but, acting 
upon the advice of friends, she decided to establish 
the school during her lifetime, that she might see 
and enjoy, in part, the good she believed it would 
accomplish. Accordingly, she selected, as trustees 
to carry out her wishes in regard to the school, 
thirteen brethren of the church of Christ, to 
whom she deeded the tract of one hundred and 



20 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

sixty acres of land upon which the old Hope 
Institute building stands. She reserved the right 
to occupy two rooms in the building and to spend 
the remainder of her life at the school. She im- 
posed upon the trustees the condition that they 
should raise a fund equal to the value of the farm 
and buildings, that the school might be put upon a 
firm basis. This the trustees were enabled to do 
by contributions — some large, some small — made by 
those who believed such a school would do good. 

The school opened for pupils in September, 1884. 
After ten years of silence, the halls of the old Hope 
Institute building again resounded with the voices 
of happy schoolgirls, and Mrs. Fanning, then more 
than seventy-five years old, resumed, in a measure, 
the work she loved, and was happier because of it. 
She taught a few classes during the first session of 
the school, and as long as her health and strength 
permitted she taught the Bible to the girls. She 
took a deep interest in anything and everything 
concerning the school. She made no effort to as- 
sume control of it, but was always ready and will- 
ing to give counsel in any matter where her counsel 
would be helpful. 

I know what a blessed influence she exercised 
over the school the first year of its existence. 
"Aunt Charlotte's room " was a haven of peace and 
quiet, where teachers and pupils never failed to 
receive kindly sympathy and helpful advice. Just 
at twilight every evening the little band that then 
formed the Fanning Orphan School met in her 
room to read a chapter of the Bible, sing and pray, 
after which she would often have ready little 
" treats " of apples or other fruit for the girls, whom 
she loved to have about her. 



Her Life. 21 

She was the adviser, sympathizer and helpful 
friend of all the superintendents and matrons who, 
in turn, had charge of the school while she was with 
them, never dictating or demanding, but always 
kindly sympathizing and gently counseling. Of 
her David Lipscomb, Jr. — the present superintend- 
ent of the school — says : " Mrs. Fanning, with all 
the wisdom of her years and long life spent in the 
schoolroom, was never critical, but always helpful, 
and, during a residence of more than eleven years 
in the school, never, so far as I know, offered one 
word of complaint or interfered in the slightest 
degree with the management that her clear eyes 
must have seen was often faulty. This fact I re- 
gard as the highest test of self-denial. Many have 
given away property for public use, but few like 
to relinquish all voice in its after management." 

She watched over the school and rejoiced in its 
success more than eleven years. She was too fee- 
ble to do any of the work of teaching the last few 
years of her stay on earth, but she retained her 
interest in the school, in her friends and in the 
cause of Christ. She wrote occasionally for pub- 
lication, kept up a correspondence with many 
friends and continued to make visits, especially 
visits to the sick. 

She was stricken with paralysis of the right side 
December 15, 1895. She could neither speak nor 
write, and could make her wants known only by 
signs. She rallied, however, grew stronger and 
became able to articulate words, somewhat indis- 
tinctly, but so as to be understood. Childless 
though she was, she did not lack filial love and 
attention in her days of sickness and helplessness. 
She was attended first by nurses employed by the 



22 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

trustees to wait upon her, and later by pupils of 
the school, under the supervision of Mr. and Mrs. 
Chiles, who were at that time in charge of the 
school. Two pupils of the school — Florence Rosser 
and Jessie Jones — especially ministered to her 
wants with tender care during the last months of 
her sickness. Friends visited her and did all they 
could for her comfort and pleasure, but her distress 
at not being able to make herself understood was 
acutely distressing to them. 

She passed away August 15, 1896, and the Sunday 
afternoon following her body was buried in the 
spot she had selected — the center of the circle in 
front of the Fanning Orphan School yard. It was 
also her request that Mr. Fanning's body should 
be removed from the lonely burying ground at the 
back of the farm, where it had reposed twenty years, 
and placed beside hers, in the same grave. Above 
the double grave was placed a broad, low monu- 
ment, such as she desired — a square pyramid of 
massive stones — upon one side of which is the fol- 
lowing inscription : 

CHARLOTTE FANNING, 

Born on April 10, 1809; died on August 15, 1896. 

She spent her life in training girls for usefulness and 
doing good to the poor and needy. She founded a school 
in which girls would be daily taught the Bible and trained 
in domestic and useful callings of life. 

" I was sick and you visited me." 

By her neighbors. 

On the opposite side of the monument, above the 
body of Mr. Fanning, is the following : 



Her Life. 23 

TOLBERT FANNING, 

Born on May 10, 1810; died on May 3, 1874. 

Two objects were near his heart — first, to restore the 
service of God to the order God gave in the New Testa- 
ment; second, to place a good industrial and literary edu- 
cation within the reach of every youth. He labored to 
these ends during his life and desired his property devoted 
to them after his death. 

The plat in which the monument now stands — 
a space in front of the house encircled by a drive- 
way and shadowed by tall trees — was a favorite re- 
sort of the girls during my school days at Hope 
Institute. It was our playground and the limit of 
our liberty. We were not allowed to go, except by 
special permission, beyond " the circle," unless ac- 
companied by a teacher. When I learned that the 
center of that plat was to be the final resting place 
of the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Fanning, I felt a pang 
of regret. I thought " the circle " with a tall mon- 
ument in its very center, perpetually suggesting the 
gloom of the grave, could never again be the cheer- 
ful, pleasant spot I loved so well. 

When I next visited the school, however, and saw 
the monument above the graves, I rejoiced that 
Mrs. Fanning's body was buried in " the circle." 
There is no suggestion of sadness in that pleasant 
place. It is still a favorite resort of the girls, who 
sit upon the low, broad steps formed by the pyra- 
mid of stones, to read or talk or sing. Mrs. Fan- 
ning loved girls — loved to see them bright and 
happy — and it seems meet that her body should 
rest where the orphan girls for whom she has done 
much to provide Christian care and training should 
often go to make merry, as she loved to see them 
do. Her influence still speaks to them there, for 



24 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

those who gather about her tomb may read a sweet 
lesson of the beauty of her daily service and self- 
sacrifice in the inscription written, at the request 
of her neighbors, on the slab above her grave : " I 
was sick and vou visited me." 



Her Life. 25 

'Twill Not Be Long. 

'Twill not be long — this wearying commotion 

That marks its passage in the human breast, 
And, like the billows on the heaving ocean 

That ever rock the cradle of unrest, 
Will soon subside. The hapny time is nearing 

When bliss, not pain, shall have its rich increase. 
E'en unto thee the dove may now be steering 

With gracious message. Wait, and hold thy peace. 
'Twill not be long. 

The lamps go out; the stars give up their shining; 

The world is lost in darkness for awhile; 
And foolish hearts give way to sad repining, 

And feel as though they ne'er again could smile. 
Why murmur thus, the needful lesson scorning? 

O, read thy Teacher and his word aright! 
The world would have no greeting for the morning 

If 'twere not for the darkness of the night. 
'Twill not be long. 

'Twill not be long. The strife will soon be ended; 

The doubts, the fears, the agony, the pain, 
Will seem but as the clouds that low descended 

To yield their pleasure to the parched plain. 
The times of weakness and of sore temptations, 

Of bitter grief and agonizing cry — 
These earthly cares and ceaseless tribulations 

Will bring a blissful harvest by and by. 
'Twill not be long. 

'Twill not be long," the heart goes on repeating. 

It is the burden of the mourner's song. 
The work of grace in us He is completing, 

Who thus assures us: "It will not be long." 
His rod and staff our fainting steps sustaining, 

Our hope and comfort every day will be; 
And we may bear our cross as uncomplaining 

As He who leads us unto Calvary. 
'Twill not be long. 




: ■ 



CHAPTER III. 



Her Character. 

The preceding chapter gives a few leading inci- 
dents in the life of Airs. Fanning — a faint, brief 
outline of a life that was full, to overflowing, of 
energy, patience, firmness, gentleness, temperance, 
meekness and other traits and graces that adorn 
a woman's character. It is not possible to esti- 
mate the value of such a life or to understand the 
extent of its influence. J. E. Scobey says of her : 
" The first labor of life with this noble woman was 
to engage in doing good for the young by teaching 
and training them for the proper discharge of the 
duties of life ; the last thing was to leave all she 
and her husband had saved for the perpetuation of 
that good. The influence of a life so consecrated 
to the good of mankind does not lose its power 
because one may die. It flows on and on, with, 
it may be, not so intensive a force, but with ever- 
broadening waves, toward the shores of eternity." 

Many times while collecting material for this 
book — reading the thoughts born in her active brain 
and penned by her busy fingers — I have seen, in 
imagination, her quaint little figure, clad in silver 
gray, wearing heelless shoes and the old-fashioned 
hoop skirts, without which she never appeared in 
public, with a neat little bow of ribbon at her throat 
and soft gray curls about her ears. 

She never wore jewelry of any kind. She usu- 
ally dressed in gray or, in summer, white or light- 



28 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

colored muslin. She did not like to wear black. 
When Mr. Fanning died, she did not conform to 
the fashion of wearing mourning; and in that way, 
as well as in many others, she set a good example 
to others. She was rather peculiar in her manner 
of dress, and sometimes her peculiarities provoked 
smiles from the young girls about her, for smiles 
come easily to youthful faces. But their amuse- 
ment never verged toward lack of respect. Her 
impressive personality, her gentle dignity, com- 
manded respect everywhere, under all circum- 
stances. 

She was very fond of outdoor exercise. She 
loved flowers — loved to work them with her own 
hands. She understood that such work is a cure 
for many ills of body and mind. She relieved me 
of more than one fit of homesickness by calling me 
out of doors to help her work her flowers, and talk- 
ing cheerfully while we plied rake or spade. She 
could keep pace with the most active of the girls 
in her charge, when out with them for a walk. 
Even in old age she would often walk two or three 
miles on a mission of kindness. She was small of 
stature, and seemed to possess a rather delicate con- 
stitution ; but her active life, her regular, simple 
habits and constant outdoor exercise gave her 
health and strength that lasted almost throughout 
the eighty-seven years she lived and labored here. 

She was very active, liked to wait upon herself, 
and often declined the little kindly offers of assist- 
ance from young people that are usually accepted 
and appreciated by elderly people. She taught me, 
by a characteristic lesson, to respect that peculiar- 
ity of her character. One evening she and I were 
standing on the back porch of the old Hope Insti- 



Her Character. 29 

tute building, soon after the Fanning Orphan School 
was opened for pupils. We turned to go into the 
house, and I took hold of her arm to help her up 
the rather steep step that led into the hall. With 
a quick, yet gentle, movement, she freed her arm 
from my hold, took hold of my arm and helped me 
up the step. I took the little hint, and very care- 
fully refrained, in future, from such offers of help. 

Sometimes when she and I started out for a drive, 
she would insist upon getting out of the buggy to 
open the " big gate " that led from the school yard 
to the pike in front of it. I would protest, and 
plead to be allowed to perform that service ; but 
her " No, no," always settled the question accord- 
ing to her wishes, and I remained in the buggy and 
drove through the gate, while she held it open. 
I am sure every woman who was ever a pupil un- 
der Mrs. Fanning's care can understand how im- 
possible it was to combat that gentle, but firm, 
" No." 

Girls often spend both time and money to acquire 
accomplishments that they seldom use and soon 
forget. Mrs. Fanning put to practical use what- 
soever knowledge or skill she acquired, and her ac- 
complishments served for her pleasure and that of 
others year after year. Mrs. Mary L. Giers, whose 
husband was professor of modern languages and 
music in Franklin College, in 1852-3, recently wrote, 
in reference to her : " I cannot say enough in praise 
of her beautiful Christian character. I enjoyed her 
society socially while I lived at Franklin College, 
although she was severely precise and prim. Many 
evenings we sang and played our guitars together, 
while Brother Fanning tossed in his arms my lovely 
firstborn baby daughter." More than thirty years 



30 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

intervened between the days of Franklin College 
and the establishment of the Fanning Orphan 
School, and they were very busy years in Mrs. 
Fanning's life. She was, during most of that time, 
teacher, matron, and writer, and filled that triple 
sphere well, but her music was neither forgotten 
nor neglected. During the first year of the Fan- 
ning Orphan School she and the two girls to whom 
she gave lessons made many of our pleasant even- 
ings there more pleasant by the music of their 
guitars. 

Earnestness is always impressive, and Mrs. Fan- 
ning was always in earnest in everything she said 
or did. She believed what she wrote, and, there- 
fore, put into daily practice the precepts she gave 
others ; or, rather, she gave to others the princi- 
ples of life she herself had tested and found to be 
true. That that is true is proved by contrasting 
her writings with what those who knew her best 
have said of her daily walk and conversation. For 
instance, she wrote : " Necessary employments tend 
to develop resolution and energy of character, 
which, graced by patience and modesty and a dis- 
position of helpfulness, impart the charm of gen- 
uine heroism to life and its duties. True nobleness 
of character is developed by the lowliest occupa- 
tions when performed for those who need help." 

She thoroughly believed, and acted upon, that 
principle. Prof. J. E. Scobey, who knew her well, 
writes of her : " Mrs. Fanning was a woman of fine 
common sense, of the soundest judgment, and fully 
appreciated and understood her circumstances. 
She could teach all day, and then at night do the 
family ironing. She was always good-humored, and 
went cheerfully to all the tasks a dutiful life im- 



Her Character. 31 

posed. Whatsoever she did, her heart was in it ; 
and all the energies of her being were laid under 
contribution to accomplish the purposes of her de- 
termined judgment. She worked, not only with 
mind and tongue and pen, but also in the manual 
tasks of an energetic, busy housewife. Her pantry 
and her kitchen, her garden and her flowers, con- 
sumed the spare moments which the school and 
school duties did not demand. She believed in the 
dignity of labor. ' It is an honor,' she said, ' to do 
things, and to do them well.' " 

Long ago she wrote : " Life should be looked 
upon as a stage of discipline for the development 
of character, beautiful for simplicity, strong in de- 
votion to duty and truth." She sought to impress 
that truth by example, as well as precept. Mrs. 
Eleanor R. Fanning — her pupil and, later, her sister- 
in-law — says of her : " I have never known a teacher 
more conscientious and faithful in the discharge of 
duty, or more unselfish and devoted in her efforts 
to bring out all that was noblest and best in those 
committed to her care and training. Her idea was 
that education embraces the whole man or woman ; 
that it is the leading out, the developing, of all the 
faculties of mind, heart and soul. The physical, 
as well as the intellectual and moral, powers were 
to be called forth and trained for usefulness ; and 
to this end she labored with and for her pupils." 

On the subject of doing good she wrote: "All 
the powers of the human body and mind were given 
for useful action. The eyes, the hands, the arms, 
the feet, were formed to enable us to do good. God 
wills that his children shall be useful to the world — 
shall make the world better by living in it, We. 



32 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

should remember that our bodies are God's temple, 
and should move, act and speak as if the Holy Spirit 
were the soul of our bodily frames. If we would 
consider what use that Holy Agent would make of 
a heart, an intellect, hands, feet and senses like ours, 
and should then put our hearts, intellects, hands, 
feet and senses to such use, how greatly the world 
would be benefited ! By earnest study of the sa- 
cred Scriptures we can learn our duty to God, to 
our fellow-men and to ourselves ; and by the daily 
practice of the holy precepts of God's word, we 
shall serve the purpose for which we were created." 
Many years after she penned that strong exhor- 
tation to good deeds, David Lipscomb wrote of 
her : " She was of gentle disposition, kind and sym- 
pathetic in spirit, deeply religious in character, 
a faithful and constant student of the Bible, and she 
earnestly sought to practice the teaching of the 
Bible in all the walks of life. I will say further 
(and it is not saying she was perfect, for, I believe, 
perfect people do not live upon earth), as a good, 
earnest, sincere Christian, molding the character 
of all with whom she came in contact, I have never 
known her superior." 

Few women have been more faithful than she 
was to give attention to the sick. The inscription, 
" I was sick and you visited me," placed on her 
tomb at the request of her neighbors, tells the sim- 
ple, literal truth. As long as she was able to do< so, 
she visited all whom she knew to be sick, if they 
were in reach of her. In view of that fact, the fol- 
lowing quotation from her becomes doubly im- 
pressive : 

" Few visit the sick who really comfort and 



Her Character. 33 

soothe them, notwithstanding they, more than all 
others, need such aid. They are often depressed 
in spirit, as well as suffering in body, and it is 
difficult for them to raise their thoughts above the 
pain, weakness and sorrow of their condition. 
Friends who visit them often spend the time de- 
tailing the gossip of the neighborhood or relating 
incidents of their own sickness and suffering. Such 
conversation is depressing to those who are sick 
and suffering. They realize that in a short time 
they may bid farewell to earth and earthly things, 
and are not greatly interested in passing events. 
They often feel ' that sick, impatient yearning of 
the heart for what it hears not/ and would say to 
those about them : ' O, speak to me of holy things ! ' 
The dying Son of God, in his hour of bitterest suf- 
fering, longed for sympathy and support. How 
much more do his brothers and sisters of earth, in 
their frailty and feebleness, need the comfort that 
raises them above their suffering and enables them 
to bear with patience and resignation the pain they 
must endure ! 

" Sickness makes us helpless and dependent. 
Earthly objects appear uncertain, and in that con- 
dition it is sweet to be gently led to the Source of 
all help — to hear of ' holy things.' An invalid who 
had been long afflicted said to her physician : ' My 
sufferings are very great.' ' I know they are,' he 
kindly answered, ' but what your Savior endured 
for you was a greater agony.' That thought si- 
lenced her complaints. It turned her mind, in some 
degree, from her own suffering to the pain endured 
by the ' Man of Sorrows.' She could more ear- 
nestly lift her heart to him when she thought of 
t-he agony he endured for her." 



34 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

After she passed away, David Lipscomb wrote 
of her : " She sympathized with the lowly, the weak, 
the suffering. There was not a negro cabin within 
her reach that she did not enter on ministrations 
of kindness. She visited them when sick, minis- 
tered to their needs, and taught them the love of 
the Savior and their duties to God. She visited all 
within her reach who suffered, and sought to alle- 
viate their suffering by sympathy, if by no other 
means." 

On the occasion of the first reunion held at the 
Fanning Orphan School, E. G. Sewell said of her: 
" People make their impress upon us in various 
ways : some by what they say, some by what they 
write, some by what they do. Sister Farming's life 
is measured not so much by what she said or what 
she wrote, but what she actually did." In that 
connection he told of her visiting him once when 
he was suffering with a fever, and, by her gentle 
and effective ministration, relieved him and made 
him comfortable ; and he added : " If all who have 
been under her supervision and kind treatment 
should speak out, it is impossible to estimate how 
many such deeds would be mentioned." 

Of Christian character she wrote : " It has been 
said : ' The Bible is God's revelation to Christians, 
and Christians are God's revelation to the world.' 
The world does not read the Bible, but it reads the 
life of Christians. The noble character of true dis- 
ciples of Christ leads the world to value him whose 
influence produces such characters. His life was a 
great object lesson of love and service and self- 
sacrifice — a pattern to all who would be his disci- 
ples. One Christian, imbued with the spirit of his 



Her Character. 35 

Master and walking in his Master's footsteps, will 
show to the world the beauty of Christian character 
more forcibly than a thousand discourses on holi- 
ness of life. If we are loving and pure and un- 
selfish, the influence of our daily lives will draw 
others to the feet of Him ' who is very pitiful, and 
of tender mercy.' " 

Her life was one of constant unselfish and self- 
denying labor for others. J. E. Scobey wrote of 
her : " Of her thorough unselfishness and devotion 
to the needs of others much might be written. 
Rich and poor, high and low, white and black, were 
alike the recipients of her kindness ; and if any dis- 
crimination were made, it was in favor of the poor 
and, especially, the sick." 

An incident related in " Franklin College and Its 
Influences " illustrates her unselfishness. One of 
her friends, the matron of the Fanning Orphan 
School, presented her one Christmas morning a 
nicely iced poundcake. Mrs. Fanning asked if she 
might do as she pleased with the cake. " Cer- 
tainly," said the donor; " use it in the way that will 
give you the greatest pleasure." " Then I'll carry 

it to old Sister , who may not have any cake," 

said Mrs. Fanning; and off she trudged, a mile or 
more, and delivered the cake to the needy sister, 
who, with her children, enjoyed it. 

She would give away anything and everything 
she had to the needy. When her last illness came 
upon her, she was found to be destitute of neces- 
sary clothing. She had deprived herself, a few 
days previous to that time, to supply a needy negro 
woman. 

I presume no teacher or writer ever labored more 



36 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

earnestly than she did to impress upon those who 
came within her influence the beauty of refined, 
modest deportment in young girls. She wrote : 
" There is not on earth a more interesting being 
than a young girl whose everyday conduct is con- 
trolled by pure motives, by Christian principles. 
When young girls rightly consider what they owe 
to God, to themselves and those with whom they 
associate, they wield a power that is of priceless 
value for the good of others. Even those who are 
not themselves gentle and refined are unconsciously 
influenced by gentleness and refinement in others." 

I once heard her relate a little incident that shows 
what a salutary influence she wielded, even in her 
girlhood days. A young man who was talking to 
her and several other young ladies used a rather 
rough expression. He quickly turned to her and 
said, " Pardon me, Miss Charlotte " — thus plainly 
intimating that she alone of the group would be 
offended by his using such an expression in her 
presence. In that apology he paid a high tribute 
to her, and gave — perhaps unconsciously — a pointed 
rebuke to the other girls in the group. 

She was, as has been said of her, " a refined, 
cultured, Christian woman, full of grace and truth." 
T. B. Larimore wrote of her: "Though never a 
mother, she was ever motherly; and she impressed 
upon her pupils the essential elements and princi- 
ples of the sweetest, purest, truest and best Chris- 
tian womanhood, so as to perfectly prepare them 
to properly fill the highest and most important po- 
sitions to which Providence might ever appoint 
them. Her labor of love has blessed, brightened 
and made happy many a home, and is destined to 
bless generations yet unborn." 




A. J. FANNING. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Suggestions to Girls. 

The difficulty in arranging this chapter has been 
to make choice from an abundance of good things. 
Mrs. Fanning's long experience in the training of 
girls ga\ T e her a clear understanding of their na- 
tures, and her suggestions to them contain truths 
of vital importance. In one article she wrote : 

" Do girls know they are all writing books ? 
Does each know that at the age when she learned 
to distinguish between right and wrong she began 
authorship? At that time she received a book, and 
has e\^er since been filling its fair, white pages with 
a history of her own life. 

" When the history of a great man or a great 
woman is written, only great actions and noble 
thoughts are recorded ; but in the books girls are 
daily and hourly writing, every thought and action, 
noble or ignoble, great or small, must be inscribed. 
The volumes they write have a present influence 
for good or evil, and will exert a like influence after 
the writing shall have ceased and the busy hands 
shall be stilled. There may be on some of the 
pages words the writer would like to forget, 
thoughts she is ashamed of, actions that should 
never have been ; but they are indelibly penned 
in her book of remembrance and she cannot efface 
them. If she has written hastily, without thought 
of the importance of doing well her life work, if her 



40 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

words and actions have given sorrow to those who 
love her best, she may weep over them, but tears 
cannot wash away the record she has made. Every 
thought and word and deed is inscribed in her book, 
and her character, for time and for eternity, must 
depend upon what she writes. She can fill that 
book of remembrance with pure, sweet thoughts, 
or she may write therein frivolous words and ac- 
tions that can never benefit her or those whom she 
influences. 

" The books we write must appear in the judg- 
ment, and another book — the book of life — shall 
there be opened. Shall we look with pleasure, or 
pain, upon these books? Will their contents give 
us joy, or sorrow? If they are written reverently, 
in the fear of God and in the love of the Savior, 
we shall not dread to see them opened, or hear 
them read before a listening world. O, for strength 
to remember the responsibilities of earth and the 
great eternity dependent upon them ! " 

She realized that " time is the warp of life," and 
she earnestly sought " to help the young, the gay, 
the fair, to weave it well." Of the importance of 
improving the present she wrote : 

" Youthful hearts seldom realize the importance 
of to-day. They look eagerly to a future that is 
all bright and fair; but, strange to say, the pres- 
ent, upon which that future depends, seems to 
them of less importance. It seldom occurs to them 
that the happiness, or misery, of untold ages hangs 
upon their conduct to-day. 

" The present moments are like grains of golden 
sand that are constantly slipping from our grasp. 



Suggestions to Girls. 41 

We cannot hold them, and we do not know that, 
when this one has gone to eternity, another will be 
given. These fleeting portions of time are worth 
more to us than the whole universe. They are 
given to us to be rationally enjoyed — given, that we 
may prepare for the duties of life, and for the world 
we must enter, when the angel of the Lord shall 
cease to measure out to us these golden sands and 
shall declare that time, for us, shall be no more. 

" The best preparation for that solemn hour is 
to live to-day as the Lord would have us live. 
Sometimes a young girl is inclined to give her heart 
to Christ. She understands the gospel, and is im- 
pressed with the thought : ' The Savior died for me. 
To-day it is my duty to show my love for him. I 
ought to take his yoke and learn to be, like him, 
meek and lowly in heart.' She is almost persuaded 
to become a Christian, but the pleasures of the world 
divert her from her purpose to-day. To-morrow 
she may feel less interest in holy things, and soon 
in the whirl of life she will forget God. Years 
shall pass, perhaps, and finally she must take the 
lone passage to eternity. There shall be with her 
then no Guide through the valley and shadow of 
death — no Voice to say to her on the other side : 
' Well done, good and faithful servant.' Sad, in- 
deed, it is that the young so often neglect, to-day, 
the things that make for peace. 

" The apostle John wrote : ' I saw the dead, small 
and great, stand before God ; and the books were 
opened : and another book was opened, which is 
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of 
those things which were written in the books, ac- 
cording to their works.' We cannot form an idea 
of a time of more interest. All shall be in earnest 



42 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

then. It is wise to question our hearts to-day: 
'Am I prepared for that great day? Am I in 
Christ? Have I made the Judge my friend?' It 
is prudent, while life is ours, to prepare to meet 
God in the judgment. Obedience to Christ and a 
pure and prayerful life in his service will secure 
his friendship now and a blissful immortality in 
the world to come. Young friend, the deeds of yes- 
terday — of your past life — still stand against you. 
If you will, they may be blotted out to-day. Form 
now the noble resolve to enter the kingdom of 
Christ. Bow to his authority, and, in the bloom 
of youth, resolve to walk in the path that leads to 
life/' 

In a letter to young Christians — girls and boys — 
she wrote : 

" Feeling a deep interest in some young members 
of the Sunday and Orphan Schools here who have 
recently entered the church — the school of Christ — 
I shall make some suggestions to them and to oth- 
ers who may be benefited thereby. If I can, in the 
least, assist them to look more frequently, more 
lovingly, to the Father above, to their Elder 
Brother who gave his life for them, I shall not 
have written in vain. 

" I have known, and therefore understand, 
the weakness of young Christians. I understand 
how much help they need. Having just entered 
the church, your position is new and strange, and 
you have fears of not being able to walk worthy 
of your high calling. A few words, fitly spoken, 
may serve to comfort and encourage you. When 
I thought seriously of becoming a Christian, and 



Suggestions to Girls. 43 

after I had entered the church, it would have been 
a great pleasure to me if persons older than I had 
freely conversed with me about the change that 
was to me so solemn and important. 

" It has been said that the school of Christ has 
but one term and no vacation. The term begins 
when you enter the school — the church — and lasts 
till a pale messenger knocks at the schoolroom 
door, and, by the authority of the great Teacher, 
says your studies here are ended, your books must 
be closed, and you must journey with him to the 
land for which you have been preparing — the land 
your school book describes. 

" It depends upon you whether you will be, in 
that school, such pupils as the great Teacher will, 
at the close of the session, commend for faithful 
attention to his rules and regulations, or whether 
he shall class you as unprofitable students who 
have idled away the precious time of preparation. 
Let me advise you to earnestly study, every day, 
the Bible — the volume given by inspiration for the 
use of the school. It contains the purest, the holi- 
est, of all immortal reasons and records, and has a 
most transforming effect upon the character of 
those who study it. You can scarcely form an 
idea of the importance of governing your lives by 
its pure precepts. Treasure those precepts in your 
hearts and practice them in your lives. 

" While you are young, before careless habits 
settle upon you, is the time to form Christian char- 
acter, to study the life of Christ, your great Teacher, 
and imitate it. You will learn from his holy word 
that he w r as pure and true and good, loving and 
humble and self-sacrificing; that he spent his earth 
life doing good to others — those who re\ T iled and 



44 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

persecuted him. He asks all who love him — all 
who enter his school — to be like him in all their 
works and ways. 

" Our great Teacher — God's own Son — went 
often to his Father in humble prayer. How much 
more do we, the children of earth, need to ' pray 
without ceasing ! ' If you will only form the habit 
of earnest prayer, you will never wander far from 
the path of duty. Go to God as you would go to 
your earthly father if in need. Approach him in 
the early morning hours, thank him for his good- 
ness, confess your faults, tell him your needs, and 
ask his help to do right in the day that lies before 
you. The quiet of the morning seems to hallow 
it and incline our thoughts to a better and brighter 
world than this. When the sunny noon comes like 
a bright presence, it is well to spend a short time 
in communion with our Father. He loves for his 
children to draw near to him, as pilgrims seek the 
shadow of a great rock in a weary land. The even- 
ing, too, when we rest from toil — the evening of the 
day, as well as the evening of life — is a time most 
fit to commune with Him who holds the thread of 
our lives in his hands. 

" The good you may do cannot be calculated, 
if you will walk humbly and truly. You will make 
the world better for having lived in it, and will 
have the joy of knowing you have been the means 
of saving souls from death — eternal death. Will 
you not study to be pure in heart and life, putting 
away all guile, all insincerity of word and action? 
I pray that you may each realize that our Father 
calls upon you to do what you can to benefit those 
about you. You will find many needing the help 
you can give." 



Suggestions to Girls. 45 

Of the influence of a daughter in the home cir- 
cle she wrote : 

" Young girls can have a most pleasant influence 
by being uniformly kind and courteous in man- 
ner, at home as well as abroad. Their influence 
should always be such as to add to the happiness 
of the home. Mothers are often saddened by lack 
of courtesy in their young daughters. Fathers are 
not often enough made glad by their loving care. 
Brothers can be made more kind and gentle in man- 
ner by the influence of sisters who are thoughtful 
and affectionate. 

" Years ago, when visiting at the home of a 
friend, I was especially pleased by the conduct of 
one of her daughters to her brother. It was late 
and cold when he came home at night. She had 
a good fire for him, met him kindly, helped him to 
take off his overcoat, placed his supper on the ta- 
ble and sat down with him, talking pleasantly of 
the news of the day. I had not, before that even- 
ing, thought her very handsome or polished, but I 
found that affection can light up a plain face and 
give the sweetest polish to quiet manners. 

" I have often thought of that sweet sister. 
Many brothers would love their homes better, and 
would keep out of bad company, if they were al- 
ways kindly received and treated there. Young 
friend, never be ashamed to manifest affectionate 
interest in those who make up your home circle. 
Be very tender to your weary mother, and take 
upon your strong young shoulders many of her 
household burdens. Show loving, thoughtful care 
to your father, who is toiling for your comfort and 
who studies your welfare at all times. Speak 



46 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

kindly to your brother, mend his coat if necessary, 
darn his socks, see that his buttons are all in place. 
Show him that you really wish to make him happy. 
You will thus not only add to his happiness now, 
but will give him sweet memories in years to come 
— memories that will rise up at the sound of your 
name, though time and distance shall have sepa- 
rated you from him, and though you may be sleep- 
ing your last sleep." 

In an article addressed to girls she gives, in an 
impressive way, a much-needed lesson : 

" I must say something to my young sisters on 
the subject of strong drink. They may never 
touch, taste or handle intoxicating drink; but they 
sometimes present it, in most tempting forms, to 
others. It is given in kindness, from a desire to 
show hospitality, perhaps, without a thought of 
future consequences But it is often a strong temp- 
tation to those who are incapable of resisting it. 
A young man who had learned, by sipping his 
mother's delicious cordials, to love wine, realized 
his danger, determined to shun temptation and 
made a promise to that effect. A young girl whom 
he liked offered him a glass of wine, which he re- 
fused. Others about them were partaking of the 
pleasant beverage, and she asked him to drink it 
for her sake. He did so, wanted more and drank it, 
and never afterwards refused. Thus started on the 
downward road, he went rapidly from bad to worse, 
and now fills a drunkard's grave. 

" No woman should ever encourage the drinking 
of wine or liquor — anything that makes drunk. 
Most of us know its effect. Many of us have seen 



Suggestions to Girls. 47 

the miserable wives of drunkards, their comfort- 
less homes, their suffering children. It is a fearful 
thing to assist in the ruin of a soul. It may be 
done unintentionally, but the effect produced is 
just as terrible as if done with malice aforethought. 
Girls who, in their homes, offer strong drink to 
young men cannot, if they marry those young men, 
reasonably expect to live free from the curse of 
liquor drinking." 

She gave good advice to girls, not only as to 
their spiritual well-being, but also as to their phys- 
ical health : 

" Solomon asks the question, ' Why wilt thou die 
before thy time?' and many young girls might 
truthfully reply: ' Because we are determined to 
be fashionable while we live.' Parents often mourn 
over the death of young daughters, and pray for 
resignation to the will of God, when, in truth, dis- 
obedience to God's law has cut the thread of that 
young life before its length had been spun. 

"An old physician says : ' Half the human race 
kill themselves by wrong living.' Many young 
persons who are frail and delicate might be fresh 
and blooming if they would take proper care to 
preserve their health. A girl — especially a delicate 
girl — should never wear thin shoes in cold weather. 
Her feet should be kept dry, her head cool. Her 
clothing should be perfectly comfortable — loose 
enough to enable her to breathe freely — to fill her 
lungs with fresh air whenever she needs it, which 
is every minute in the day, and the night, too. 
She should take as much indoor exercise as is nec- 
essary to keep her home in order, and outdoor ex- 



48 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

ercise besides. For further improvement, when 
spring brightens the world, she should go out into 
the sunshine and exercise two hours in the morn- 
ing, with a light spade, rake or hoe. 

" Her food should be plain and wholesome, and 
should be taken regularly. Instead of taking long 
naps in the daytime, she should go to see a sick 
neighbor, help a weary friend, assist her mother, 
or lessen the burdens of her father — do all she 
can to make others happy. By being thoughtful 
of her loved ones, careful for herself, and useful 
generally, she will bring the roses of health to her 
cheeks, the spirit of content to her heart. Fresh 
air and exercise will give strength of body and 
mind. Fragrant blossoms will fill her heart with 
gratitude, and every bird song find art echo there. 
If she lives thus, she will need no physic. She will 
possess a clear mind, a healthful body, and may 
live out, comfortably, her threescore years and 
ten." 

To a class of girls about to graduate she wrote, 
among other things, the following: 

" Some of you expect to become teachers. In 
that case you will have a strong influence. Pray 
that it may be such as will lead your pupils up- 
ward, to a higher, nobler life, and exert all your 
energies to that purpose. Let the Bible have its 
influence in your everyday life. Lay up the pre- 
cepts of God's word in your hearts, and let it mold 
your characters. Teach its truths with earnest- 
ness and simplicity. The life of women should be 
earnest. They are capable of doing good that oth- 
ers cannot effect. Will you not walk thoughtfully, 



Suggestions to Girls. 49 

remembering that your influence may lead others 
to the Savior whom you have elected to follow, or 
may render them careless of the things that con- 
cern their peace? 

" When girls leave school, however, the greater 
number of them marry. That is just as it should 
be; but let me, as one who desires your happiness, 
advise you to think seriously before taking that 
step. A young Christian should avoid rash ' love 
scrapes ' as below the dignity of a modest woman. 
Her affections should not be lightly won. An old 
Scotch ballad gives the experience of a pretty, 
thoughtless girl, who was admired and flattered 
for a little while, and then quickly forgotten, by 
one on whom she bestowed her affection, and she 
is advised to ' put her heart in a golden case and 
lock it with a silver key.' It may not be necessary 
to keep your heart quite so closely, but it is best to 
guard it as securely as good sense and modesty 
may dictate. When you shall have reached a suit- 
able age, understand domestic matters sufficiently 
to make a home comfortable, and are qualified to 
be a true ' helpmeet,' it is fitting and proper to give 
your heart to a Christian gentleman who loves you, 
and whom you love, in sincerity and truth. 

" I say ' it is fitting and proper to give your heart 
to a Christian gentleman.' Paul, writing to Chris- 
tian widows, tells them they are at liberty to marry 
again, but 'only in the Lord.' Girls usually think, 
before marriage, that that injunction does not ap- 
ply to them, but it is just as important to marry 
' only in the Lord ' the first time as the second 
time. I have known girls who realized the force 
of that truth very sensibly after marriage. For 
the sake of peace at home, young wives have en- 



50 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

tered religious institutions whose teaching they 
could not indorse. I recall one — a sweet, gentle 
Christian — who left the church of Christ and en- 
tered a religious denomination, to please her impe- 
rious husband. She was ever afterwards unhappy, 
because, to obey her husband, she had been disloyal 
to the truth of God. 

" If there is one subject upon which husband and 
wife must be united, it is that of living the Chris- 
tian life. If they cannot walk together the strait 
and narrow way, both are apt to go wrong. Each 
needs the help — the most tender consideration — of 
the other in treading the path to the eternal world. 

" Sometimes a husband and wife who differ reli- 
giously agree to not speak to each other on that 
subject. That is wrong. Acting under that un- 
fortunate agreement, both are apt to lose the in- 
terest they originally felt in the religions that sep- 
arate them. If such differences exist, it is best for 
them to humbly and earnestly study the Scriptures 
together, to learn what God requires them to do 
and be. Then whatsoever is wrong must be giyen 
up, and whatsoever is right chosen, by both. They 
can then each accept from God's word the ' one 
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father 
of all/ and can, together, grow in grace and in the 
knowledge of the truth. 

" It may seem strange to write to schoolgirls on 
the subject of marriage; but when they attain a 
suitable age, they will think of it, and if they can 
be induced to follow Paul's advice, it will be well.''" 




THE FANNING ORPHAN SCHOOIy, ii 



CHAPTER V. 



To Boys. 

During my school days at Hope Institute I 
formed the opinion that Mrs. Fanning did not like 
boys — boys in general and the boys then attending 
the near-by school conducted by Mr. A. J. Fan- 
ning in particular. Not only did she herself. seem 
to not like them, but she cherished a most earnest 
desire that none of her girls should feel any inter- 
est in them. She considered it reprehensible for us 
to cast a glance at the boys when we assembled in 
the chapel on Sundays, a dire offense for any girl 
to smile at even one of them as we filed out of the 
chapel, and a high crime and misdemeanor to wave 
hand or handkerchief to them, or any of them, as 
they very leisurely betook themselves back to " the 
college." 

Being rather shy and diffident by nature, and hav- 
ing had the priceless advantage of being trained 
by a wise, judicious mother, I never once trans- 
gressed Mrs. Fanning's rules in this particular, not- 
withstanding I thought she was rather " hard " on 
the boys. Since I have grown older and have seen 
so much flippancy and lack of dignity in young 
girls, I realize the wisdom of Mrs. Fanning's course 
in striving so earnestly to impress upon her pupils 
the beauty of sweet, modest demeanor at all times 
and under all circumstances. Her apparent aver- 
sion to boys, no doubt, was due to her solicitude 
for the welfare of her girls ; for I have found in her 



54 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

writings much sound advice to them, showing a 
clear understanding of their trials and temptations, 
their hopes and aspirations. 

In one article she wrote : 

" I like boys, notwithstanding I seldom write to 
them. If they are good, I have a special regard for 
them. Good boys generally make good men, and 
good men are a blessing to the world. If they are 
bad, I am truly sorry, knowing that, if they do not 
change, they will make bad men, and bad men are — 
shall I say a curse to the world? 

" Boys often have temptations to go astray, and 
need help to keep in the path that gains respect and 
forms an upright, honorable character. Many do 
not realize how important it is to do right now. 
They do wrong to-day, and think they will do bet- 
ter to-morrow; but if they yield to temptation to- 
day, it will be still harder to resist it to-morrow. 
Every time you yield to temptation, boys — get into 
a passion, tell a falsehood, or act dishonorably — 
you will find it harder next time to do right. A 
boy who wishes to grow up to be a good man must 
try to learn what is right and determine to follow 
it, it matters not who laughs or advises a different 
course. He must be firm and resolute, not to be 
turned aside by little things. 

"A few days ago I heard a great noise among 
the chickens that were feeding a considerable dis- 
tance from the house. The hens came cackling home 
in a hurry. Soon I observed a large hawk fly up 
from the spot where the commotion seemed to be. 
A little boy who was playing in the yard came to tell 
me what the trouble was. The hawk had caught 
a chicken, but its mother — a tiny Black Spanish 
hen — made such resistance that the chicken escaped 



To Boys. 55 

and the hawk went off without its dinner. I told 
the little boy I wanted him to remember all his life 
the courage and energy shown by the little black 
mother hen. If you would succeed in life, boys, 
you must struggle earnestly and courageously, res- 
olutely. If you are brave and determined, you can 
drive off enemies more powerful than the hawk ; 
and when tempted to give up in a good work, re- 
member the resolution and determination of little 
Black Spanish, and set to work again with a will 
to succeed. 

" Boys must be noble — too noble to stoop to any 
meanness — if they would make good men. They 
must be open and frank in all their conduct. A 
boy who acts right feels right, looks right. He can 
hold up his head fearlessly, knowing that he is 
guilty of no secret wrongdoing. Only the boys 
who have noble principles — and, of course, noble 
conduct — will make noble men." 

In another article to boys she wrote : 
" If a boy is energetic, if his aims are high, his 
principles noble, he is sure to attain success in life 
and win the respect of all who know him. Some 
of the best and most successful men were poor in 
their boyhood days. In the cold breezes of pov- 
erty there is bracing power that gives health and 
strength for exertion. Poverty keeps a hard 
school, but it is usually a good school. She has 
the old-fashioned habit of flogging her pupils se- 
verely, but ere they leaA T e her they learn useful 
lessons, and their capabilities for usefulness are 
well developed by her stern teaching. 

" Not only should boys — and girls, too — be en- 
ergetic, but they should have system in expending 



56 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

their energy. Regular habits are a necessary ad- 
junct to success in life. One who rises in trie 
morning without a definite plan as to how he shall 
spend the day is far more apt to waste, than to 
improve, it. Regularity is a chain of gold, made 
up of perfect links, of which none are missing to 
destroy its usefulness. He who would form a reg- 
ular, consistent character should have his hours for 
devotion, for business, for improvement, for social 
intercourse, for recreation. Many things occur to 
interrupt a regular course of life, but determina- 
tion conquers difficulties. He who would look 
back over his life with satisfaction must spend it 
in the way best calculated to make him a good 
man, and he cannot do that unless a regular sys- 
tem of life runs, like a golden thread, through all 
his days and nights." 

In another article addressed to boys she wrote : 
" I feel much interest in you, boys. You may 
sometimes be rough and noisy in demeanor, but 
of course you want to grow up to be gentlemen. 
A gentleman, you know, is simply a gentle man ; and 
if you wish to grow up to be a gentle man, you 
must begin by being gentle while you are still a 
boy. A boy who is kind and gentle to his mother 
and his sisters feels like a gentleman. One who 
is rough and unkind feels like a rowdy; and the 
longer he indulges in such roughness and unkind- 
ness, the more he becomes like a rowdy. 

"A boy who is not a gentleman in his mother's 
home will not be a gentleman in the home he makes 
for himself when he becomes a man. He will be 
rough and unkind to the wife whom he now im- 
agines he will in future years love so well. Boys 
who are selfish and unkind grow up to be selfish, 



To Boys. 57 

unkind men, indifferent to the happiness of those 
who are dependent upon them for happiness. How 
can such men hope to escape condemnation when 
they are called upon by the Judge of all the earth 
to give account of their conduct? 

" Boys can give so much happiness to weary 
mothers by trying to lighten their toil — by being- 
gentle and thoughtful. ' Let me do this for you, 
mother/ or, ' I will do that and let you rest,' sounds 
sweet to a mother who is overburdened and needs 
help, and she would rather have such help from 
her son than from any one else. If boys could only 
realize how many trials their mothers have to meet, 
it would give them purest pleasure to lighten such 
burdens in every way possible. 

" Your mother is your best friend. She may 
sometimes scold you a little, may find fault when 
you do wrong; but in sickness, in trouble, she will 
be with you, night and day, if she can. She will 
love you when the world frowns and poverty's chill 
blight falls upon you. She may soon pass away, 
and you will then sadly miss her affectionate care. 
You cannot now imagine how cold the world will 
seem without her presence, her cheering words, her 
unwavering love. If you neglect her happiness 
now — if you refuse to listen to her counsel and her 
pleading — your heart will be full of anguish when 
you see her lie pale and silent, unresponsive to your 
words of grief and penitence. 

" Be courteous and respectful to your father. He 
is, perhaps, bearing burdens of which you know 
nothing. If he is what a father should be, he is 
striving to instill into your mind principles of honor 
and uprightness. He is, perhaps, daily making sac- 
rifices to give you advantages that he himself never 



58 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

enjoyed, and he will appreciate every mark of love 
and respect you offer him. 

"Be gentle to your sisters. They may be gay 
and thoughtless now, may sometimes be provoking, 
but treat them always with gentle consideration. 
They may some day leave the home circle to go 
to homes of their own or to face the trials of the 
busy world. They may meet many sorrows and 
may often walk on their way with heavy hearts. 
Treat them kindly, that, when they look back to 
their girlhood homes, their hearts may be cheered 
by sweet memories — memories of soft tones, gentle 
deeds and loving glances ; that the music of the van- 
ished years may be sweet, although tones of mourn- 
fulness may mingle with it. 

" Be kind and courteous to each other, boys — to 
all. Boys soon grow to be men, and the charac- 
ters you are forming now will remain with you in 
after life and fix your eternal destiny. If a boy is 
not a gentleman at home, he will probably never 
be a gentleman, and it is only the pure and gentle 
in heart who shall dwell with God and the angels." 

In another letter to boys she wrote of the tobacco 
habit : 

" I want to talk to you, boys, about chewing — 
not the chewing of food. That should be well and 
thoroughly done to retain health. I mean need- 
less chewing — the chewing of gum, balsam and 
such things. I have a great dislike to the chewing 
habit. It certainly is not necessary for the preser- 
vation of the teeth, and the habit of chewing con- 
stantly, except when asleep, naturally leads from 
the chewing of harmless substances to the chewing 



To Boys. 59 

of things very injurious. The gum habit easily 
and quickly leads to the tobacco habit. Most of us 
are acquainted with little boys who think it manly 
to have a quid in one cheek and spit out tobacco 
juice occasionally. No doubt many of them often 
see their fathers do likewise, and very naturally 
they have come to regard it as the mark of a man. 

" Most boys desire to grow up to be gentlemen. 
To avoid the use of tobacco in every form will 
greatly assist them in that purpose. Tobacco has 
been called ' filth of the mouth and fog of the mind,' 
and boys who expect to be gentlemen should not 
put such filth into their mouths or have their minds 
befogged by either smoking or chewing that vile 
weed. 

" The habit, once formed, is hard to give up. Let 
me quote for your benefit the experience of one who 
was a slave to tobacco. He tried to quit its use, 
and wrote thus of his struggles : ' The reading in a 
book that some one takes his whiff in the chimney 
corner, or somebody else breaks his fast by a morn- 
ing pipe, has, in a moment, broken down the resist- 
ance of weeks. I have dreamed of a pipe till the 
vision forced me to realize it. How then did its 
ascending vapors curl, its fragrance lull and the 
thousand delicious ministerings conversant about 
it employ every faculty, extract every sense of pain ! 
But from illuminating it finally came to darken; 
from a quick solace it turned to a negative relief; 
thence to restlessness and dissatisfaction ; thence 
to positive misery. I felt myself linked to it be- 
yond the power of revocation — it was bone of my 
bone.' 

" It is much better, boys, to never contract habits 
so difficult to shake off; to never learn 'to take in 



60 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

draughts of liquid fire or puff out blasts of dry 
smoke.' Do not make promises, but quietly deter- 
mine, ' I will not smoke or chew tobacco ' — that 
which 

' ' to the noble heart 
Can neither health nor strength impart.' " 

Knowing, as a woman of her powers of observa- 
tion could not fail to know, the terrible evils of 
drunkenness, Mrs. Fanning warns boys and young 
men of such evils : 

" Young men and boys who have ambitions to 
form characters worthy of respect should solemnly 
resolve : ' The Lord helping me, I will neither touch, 
taste, nor handle for the purpose of drinking, the 
beverage that leads to death — death temporal and 
eternal.' If young men could only form a faint 
idea of the misery, the anguish, that confirmed dram 
drinkers suffer, they would turn from the wine, as 
it moves in flashing beauty and fragrance, as from 
the deadliest poison. Each would resolve : ' I will 
not die the death of a drunkard/ 

"A great deal is said and written about the prev- 
alence of intemperate drinking. Temperate drink- 
ing is more prevalent, if not more to be feared, than 
intemperate drinking. Compared with the temper- 
ate drinkers, the intemperate drinkers are few. 
Any man, old or young, is in a dangerous condi- 
tion when he habitually takes even one dram a day. 
Soon he must have two, and then half a dozen, 
drams, to be at all comfortable. When he goes to 
town, or elsewhere, if the morning is cold, he thinks 
he needs a dram to warm and cheer him. If the 
weather is warm, the same refreshment, delight- 



To Boys. 61 

fully iced, cools and refreshes him and makes him 
feel friendly to all he meets. The fiery liquid is 
not now needful to his comfort, but he likes to in- 
dulge himself. 

" He could easily leave the current that has be- 
gun to draw him gently on. but he makes no effort 
to do so. He likes to indulge himself ; he fears no 
danger; he is strong; he 'can stop when he 
chooses/ but — alas! — he seldom chooses to stop. 
He tries to imagine there is no danger for him in 
the wine cup. notwithstanding he has seen many 
an unfortunate man indulge in occasional dram 
drinking until the indulgence grew into a habit too 
strong to be broken — a giant that could not be over- 
thrown. He has seen friends, once noble and dear. 
bearing about with them the marks of self-ruin — - 
fevered eyes, flushed faces, weak and trembling 
hands. He has seen all this, and yet he deludes 
himself with the belief that he is in no danger. 
Fatal delusion ! His feet have already entered the 
path that must eventually lead him down to a 
drunkard's grave. 

" Xo man who has taken upon himself the name 
of Christ can afford to touch, taste or handle intox- 
icating liquor. He is under a pledge more solemn 
than the pledge required by temperance societies 
to abstain from intemperance of all kinds. A 
brother living in a near-by town writes : ' I have 
been snubbed and berated greatly because I am not 
willing to sign the pledge. I consider myself un- 
der a pledge to the Lord to abstain from all sorts 
of intemperance — a pledge more solemn than that 
required by man-organized societies.' This brother 
is an earnest man, devoted to God and his truth. 



62 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

The Bible is the light of his path, the man of his 
counsel. He strives to daily live in accordance 
with its teaching, actuated by high principles of 
love and reverence to God. Shall he, to please his 
fellow-men, take a pledge — an oath — that he will 
continue in the path he has traveled so long? In 
doing so he would descend from a higher to a lower 
plane of action. He would exchange a heavenly, 
for an earthly, motive. He who fears not God 
should take all pledges that will keep him from 
wrong, but he who lives day by day in the fear of 
God does not need such pledges. 

" The sad experience of Charles Lamb — a man 
of genius, of the noblest feelings, greatly beloved 
by all who knew him — will perhaps touch the hearts 
of my readers more than anything I can write. 
There is deep pathos in his history, told by him- 
self, and it should be read by all young men and 
boys. He says : ' In youth I was possessed of 
a healthy frame of mind and body. I arose early, 
summer and winter, awaking refreshed, seldom 
without some merry thought or piece of song in 
my mind, to welcome the newborn day. I did 
not in those happy days know what it was to 
be sick. Now, except when I am lost in a sea 
of drinking, I am never free from uneasy sen- 
sations in head and stomach that are much 
worse to bear than any definite pains or aches. 
Now the first feeling that besets me in the morn- 
ing, after lying as late as possible, is a forecast of 
the wearisome day before me, and a secret wish 
that I could have lain on still and never awaked. 
My waking life has much of confusion — the con- 
fusion of an ill dream. Business wearies and per- 
plexes me. Application kills me. Noble passages 






To Bovs. 63 

of authors that once delighted me now draw from 
me only a few weak tears, allied to dotage. I am 
perpetually in tears for any cause or none.' 

" Lamb went too far to reform. He would try 
to refrain, he says, for one night only, well know- 
ing that drink would deepen, rather than brighten, 
his gloom ; but the present misery was so strong 
that he would scream aloud because of the anguish 
and pain of the strife within him. He asks : ' Is 
there no middle way between total abstinence and 
the excess that kills? For your sake, young friends, 
that you may never attain to my experience with 
pain, I must utter the deadful truth : There is none 
that I can find. I weep when I think of my con- 
dition. The waters have gone over me, but out of 
the black depths, could I be heard, I would call 
aloud to all who have but set foot in the perilous 
flood. To many a youth the flavor of his first wine 
seems as delicious as the opening scenes of life or 
some newly discovered paradise ; but could he look 
upon my desolation and be made to realize what a 
horrible thing it is to be rushing down a precipice 
with no power to stop, to feel all goodness emptied 
out of him and remember a time when he was 
innocent and happy, he would dash the sparkling 
beverage to the earth, in all the pride of its mantling 
temptation.' 

" Strong drink has wrecked other lives as cer- 
tainly and as surely as it wrecked Charles Lamb. I 
recall now a family of boys, all fine, healthy, noble- 
looking. Their mother took pleasure in indulging 
them in everything they liked, to eat or to drink. 
Rich cordials and fine wines were at their command. 
Plain and simple fare, such as boys should be taught 
to relish, had no charms for them.. When they left 



64 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

home, they indulged more and more in high living 
and strong drink, and now those once noble-looking 
men are in ' the black depths ' of which Lamb 
writes. 

"A few weeks ago I saw a young mother give her 
little boy cordial, as if it had been water. I said 
to her : ' You are setting his feet on a dangerous 
path, my friend — a path that may end in bitter sor- 
row for you and eternal destruction for him.' 

" If the effects of strong drink were confined to 
this world only — if it affected the body only — it 
would not be so terrible, perhaps ; but its effects are 
eternal, and eternity is so long. How fearful is the 
thought of eternal ruin to one possessed of many 
noble principles and refined tastes that lead him 
to associate with only the pure and good! That, 
for years, was the character of Charles Lamb, but 
the habit of strong drink held him in a vicelike grip 
and would not let him go. He says : ' The lover of 
strong drink is an object of compassion to friends, 
of derision to foes ; suspected by strangers, stared 
at by fools. He swallows draughts of life-destroy- 
ing wine and mortgages miserable morrows for 
nights of madness. He bears about with him the 
piteous spectacle of his own self-ruin — a body of 
death from which, with feebler and feebler out- 
cries, he pines to be delivered.' 

" This man of genius, of fine feeling, once lovable 
and beloved, calls, out of the depths of his misery 
and degradation, upon young men to stop before 
they are linked, beyond the power of revocation, 
-to soul-destroying indulgence in strong drink — be- 
fore it becomes bone of their bone and flesh of their 
•flesh. He urges them to 

■'•' ' Clinch their teeth, and not undo them 

To suff e r wet damnation to pass through them.' " 



To Boys. 65 

There is in use in England a famous prescrip- 
tion for the cure of drunkenness, by which thou- 
sands are said to have been assisted in recovering 
themselves. The recipe came into notoriety through 
the efforts of John Vine Hall, commander of the 
steamer Great Eastern. He had fallen into such 
habitual drunkenness that his most earnest efforts 
to reclaim himself proved unavailing. 

At length he sought the advice of an eminent 
physician, who gave him a prescription which he 
followed faithfully seven months ; and at the end 
of that time he had lost all desire for liquor, al- 
though he had been for years led captive by a most 
debasing appetite. 

The recipe, which he afterwards published, is as 
follows : " Five grains of sulphate of iron, ten grains 
of magnesia, eleven drachms of peppermint water 
and one drachm of spirits of nutmeg. Dose : Tea- 
spoonful twice a day, to be taken in water." 

This preparation acts as a tonic and stimulant. 
and so partially supplies the place of accustomed 
liquor, and prevents the absolute physical and moral 
prostration that follows a sudden breaking off of 
the use of stimulating drinks. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Husbands and Wives. 

To wives — especially young wives — Mrs. Fan- 
ning wrote : 

: ' She openeth her mouth with wisdom ; and in 
her tongue is the law of kindness.' (Prov. 31 : 26.) 

"A young friend who will soon be a wife and 
housekeeper — an earnest, thoughtful young woman, 
who desires to enjoy all the happiness that may 
arise from faithful performance of the duties of 
her lot — inquires : ' How can I, in my everyday con- 
duct and conversation, speak with wisdom and be, 
at all times, governed by the law of kindness?' 
She feels her weakness, her need of help, as all sen- 
sible young persons do, and she wishes advice from 
those who have had experience. 

" To always speak with wisdom and kindness will 
require constant study and earnest prayer, and even 
then failure will sometimes attend such efforts. If, 
however, duty is the subject of reflection and its 
performance the aim of life, a wife who wishes to 
make her home pleasant and her husband happy 
will soon learn how to ' stamp improvement on the 
wings of time.' She can learn to speak with wis- 
dom and be governed by the law of kindness. So 
desirable an end is not attained at once, however. 
As before said, it requires constant thought and 
earnest prayer. The advice, too, of others who 
follow the law of wisdom and kindness will be help- 
ful to her who wishes to find happiness in her home. 



68 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

11 Lovers imagine, before marriage, that they shall 
certainly be happy in the marriage relation. Hap- 
piness is, however, a plant that requires cultiva- 
tion; and mutual forbearance, tact, thoughtfulness 
and self-sacrifice are necessary to its growth. Be 
cautious, young friend. He with whom you will 
link your life is only mortal, and has the faults of 
a mortal. You are imperfect yourself, and will not 
find perfection in aught of earth. Knowing this, 
you cannot too carefully watch yourself, cannot too 
earnestly consider how to retain the respect and 
affection you now prize so highly. 

" You can make your husband more tender and 
loving as the years pass on, or you can alienate his 
love and change it to indifference. Study to make 
home so pleasant to him that he will prefer it to 
all other places — will leave it reluctantly and hasten 
back to it after absence. Yield a cheerful compli- 
ance to his wishes, when that yielding does not in- 
volve the sacrifice of principles of right or duty to 
God. Seek his approval in dress, manner and de- 
portment. Strive to have your home pleasant and 
attractive to him. 

" Never interfere with your husband's business, 
or give advice relative to it, unless he asks such 
advice, and never make an effort to control him in 
business affairs. You should, of course, know the 
amount of his income — the amount he can afford 
to spend for his family — and be careful to never go 
beyond it, or even quite so far as it may permit. 
A rainy day may come, and something extra be 
needed. A prudent wife, it matters not how large 
her husband's income may be, will study, and prac- 
tice, economy in her household expenditures. 

" If differences of opinion occur, try earnestly to 



Husbands and Wives. 69 

prevent any unpleasantness over such difference. 
There will be few occasions for disagreement if you 
always treat your husband with as much courtesy 
as you show other gentlemen. Never mention such 
differences to others. Never speak of his faults or 
his lack of tenderness to you. Never allow others 
to find fault with him in your presence. No one 
will ever do so unless you encourage it. Never 
permit a third person to interfere in your affairs, 
it matters not how closely connected that third per- 
son may be. Such interference severs those deli- 
cate ties that should ever subsist between husband 
and wife. Its sacredness is destroyed when either 
admits another to confidence. 

" Never accept special attention from any other 
man than your husband. However innocent such 
attention may be, it leads to gossip, and false re- 
ports often do as much harm as if they were 
founded on truth. Without mutual confidence and 
respect, the brightness of existence fades away; 
and those who once rejoiced in the thought of bear- 
ing the burdens and enjoying the blessings of life 
together find there is a void that cannot be filled, 
an aching of the heart that cannot be soothed. You 
may think : 'All this does not depend upon me.' 
No, it does not depend entirely upon you ; but a 
thoughtful, prudent, loving woman can often lead 
a husband who is inclined to a careless course of 
life to be more careful, more thoughtful, more con- 
siderate, more loving. 

"A mother, advising a newly married daughter, 
wrote : ' Good temper, affection to a husband, at- 
tention to his interests, are duties of a wife. The 
charm of wit and beauty may please in youth, be- 
fore marriage, but will not long have influence 



70 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

afterwards, unless judiciously exerted. Some wives 
endeavor to shine in public, and exert themselves 
but little for the amusement of their husbands at 
home. Try, my daughter, to please your husband, 
if no one else. If he loves you as you wish him to 
do, it would give him heartfelt pain if he thought, 
for a moment, you did not care to please him. 
Never consider as a trifle anything he likes. He 
knows you owe him some duties, but little pleasant 
attentions he will look upon as favors, and nothing 
is more delightful to oneself than turning these 
things to so precious a use.' 

" If all mothers gave such good advice, there 
would be happiness in many homes where now 
only misery exists. Life is made up of little things 
— little words, little actions, that bring joy or sor- 
row — but these little things make up the great sum 
of human life. A quaint writer says to a bride : 
' Be kind to the friends of your husband for the 
love they have for him. Bear gently his infirmi- 
ties. Have you no need of his forbearance? Let 
bitterness be a stranger to your tongue, and sym- 
pathy a dweller in your heart.' 

"A loving wife, as she packed her husband's va- 
lise with articles he would need during an absence 
from home, pinned a note to a garment she placed 
at the bottom of the valise. He found the note 
after a few-days' absence, and, of course, was curi- 
ous to know what it contained. He opened it and 
read : ' Linger not long. Home is sad without 
thee.' If he had been inclined to linger, those lov- 
ing words would have hastened his return, with 
a heart full of tenderness, to his home and the sweet 
wife who was its life and light." 



Husbands and Wives. H 

To husbands she wrote : 

" Wisdom and kindness should not be monop- 
olized by the young wife, but should also flour- 
ish abundantly in the heart of him who has 
promised, before God, to cherish and protect her 
while life shall last. Many of the preceding sug- 
gestions to wives were culled from an old book 
much esteemed a hundred years ago. From the 
same source I shall glean a few suggestions to hus- 
bands. These suggestions may be rather old-fash- 
ioned, but I think they may be as profitable now 
as in those good old times of yore. 

" Regard your wife as your equal. Treat her 
with respect and affection. Never address her with 
an air of authority, as if she were merely your 
housekeeper. Never interfere with her domestic af- 
fairs by directing how she should do this or that 
thing. You have placed your household in her 
hands ; do not discourage her by disapproval of her 
arrangements. That is excellent advice. Let your 
wife make such arrangements as she thinks proper 
for her home. Perhaps she understands such mat- 
ters better than you do. If she is a woman of good 
common sense, a little fertile patch of household 
comfort will spring up and spread about her, and 
will continue to grow, if you will help her to cul- 
tivate rational tastes, orderly habits and gentle 
charities. If she is not sensible and domestic, do 
all you can, with patience and good humor, to make 
her so. 

" Never be so unjust as to lose your temper be- 
cause meals are irregular and the food not well 
cooked. If your wife has had but little experience, 
troubles of this kind will have to be met ; and even 
if servants are employed, such irregularities may 



72 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

sometimes occur. Much practice is needed before 
perfection is attained in any art or science, and 
patience helps us over such hard places. 

" Supply your wife with money for household 
expenses, dress and whatever is suitable for her 
condition in life. A woman of delicate feeling does 
not like to ask for every cent she needs. Cheer- 
fully comply with all her reasonable requests ; an- 
ticipate them when you can. It will please her to 
know you consider her prudent and careful, and 
such confidence is very cheering to a wife who is 
trying to do her duty. She will strive earnestly to 
be worthy your confidence, and will thus develop 
more and more along the line of painstaking care 
and economy. 

" If she has prudence and common sense, consult 
her in operations involving risk. Many a man has 
been saved from ruin in business by the counsels 
of his wife. No other counselor is so deeply inter- 
ested in his success. Many a foolish husband has 
suffered loss by rejecting his wife's advice, fearing 
that if he follows it he may be considered hen- 
pecked. If distressed or embarrassed, frankly tell 
your wife your condition. An incident that came 
under my own observation illustrates the wisdom 
of this advice. A man who had failed in business 
went home, when he found all was lost, looking so 
wretched that his wife was shocked, and could 
scarcely gain courage to ask : ' What is the matter? ' 
He told her, after some hesitation, that he was 
ruined, had lost all he had invested in his business. 
Throwing her arms around his neck, she asked : 
' Is that all ? Do you look so miserable for that, 
when you are young, strong and active? We can 
live and be happy on a small income, and you can 



Husbands and Wives. 73 

soon be established in business again.' Who can 
estimate the happiness her true affection and brave 
words gave him? He determined to go to work 
cheerfully. He did so, and was soon doing well in 
business again. Had she been gloomy and de- 
spondent, how different would have been the feel- 
ings of her husband ! 

" Husband and wife should have- a frank under- 
standing as to the business affairs of their partner- 
ship, for marriage is a partnership. A prudent wife 
will not spend a cent more than need requires, if 
close economy is necessary. She will make many 
sacrifices that her husband may appear well. A 
pleasant writer tells a little story of his wife's de- 
voting her cloak to making him a coat, and adds : 
' The second season she refused a coat of any sort, 
that I might have a decent suit in which to appear 
at court. She wore her last bonnet another sea- 
son, that I might have a hat. Talk of old-time, 
flame-enveloped martyrs after that ! ' 

" Never, on any account, laugh at or rebuke your 
wife in company. If she should make a mistake 
in speech, pass it by as if she had used the best of 
English. It is related of a man of talent and edu- 
cation, whose wife was uneducated, that he never 
appeared to notice her mistakes, and always treated 
her with as much respect and affection as if she had 
been highly educated. Indeed, no gentleman would 
do otherwise. 

" The society of other ladies may be pleasant 
to a young husband, but one who desires home 
happiness and determines it shall be his must let 
his wife know he prefers her society to that of any 
other. He must show her that he loves their home 
because she is there. He will spend his evenings 



74 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

with her, when they do not go out together. He 
cannot be too tender and gentle toward the wife 
who is bearing with him the trials and difficulties 
of life. He can scarcely form an idea of how deso- 
late his home would be if she who makes it bright 
should pass away. If she should pass beyond the 
reach of kind words, it would give him acute sor- 
row, if he loves her, to remember, as he passes 
through the desolate rooms of their home : ' Here 
I said unkind words that took the light from her 
face and brought tears to her eyes. There I treated 
her with coldness and indifference. If I could only 
bring her back, how differently I would act ! ' If 
we could only appreciate the importance of doing 
right at the present moment, it would prevent many 
vain regrets. 

"A thoughtful husband can interest his wife in 
themes that will be helpful to both. If she has not 
learned, in her father's house, that ' life is real, life 
is earnest,' that time is more precious than gold 
and should be so estimated, they can learn that 
lesson together. They can make their evenings at 
home both pleasant and profitable by reading to 
each other, cultivating a taste for the same pur- 
suits, each learning what the other enjoys and en- 
gaging in it, being thus drawn nearer together in 
heart and life. 

" If they wish enjoyment that the cares and trials 
of life cannot destroy, they will set apart short 
periods to be thus employed regularly. They can 
become familiar with the best authors and enjoy 
such acquaintance together much more than could 
either enjoy them alone. Their minds may thus 
become ' the home of the great thoughts of the 
great dead ; ' may be raised from what irritates and 



Husbands and Wives. 75 

depresses to what is ennobling and gives food for 
thought. It is no slight matter to be led to pon- 
der on themes that fill the mind with noble images ; 
to make friends with those who are comforters in 
sorrow, nurses in sickness, companions in solitude. 
Such friends never change. They are with us at 
all times, and we turn to them for solace when 
those we have loved have left us to walk on our 
way alone in a world where such comfort is sadly 
needed. 

" If happiness is not found at home, it will not 
be enjoyed elsewhere. It must be found, too, in 
the first years of married life or not at all. The 
future years depend upon those first two or three 
trial years, when husband and wife are learning 
how to be happy, how to love each other. In the 
marriage relation, as in other relations, love begets 
love. We love those who are most tender and 
thoughtful of our welfare. Those who are indiffer- 
ent and careless do not so much call forth our af- 
fections or add so much to our happiness. 

" Especially should those who are setting out in 
life together ' learn Christ's faith by heart.' They 
should study the truths of the gospel of Christ and 
practice its behests. They are the purest, sweet- 
est, peacefulest of all immortal reasons and records. 
They will be present when all else is gone. When 
that faith is ' learned by heart ' — fills the heart and 
governs the life — it will lead husbands to treat their 
wives with at least as much respect as they treat 
other ladies, and a wife treated with respect will 
usually be respectful. It will lead a wife to be 
thoughtful and considerate of her husband, and a 
husband who is so treated will be thoughtful and 
considerate in return. In that case but few diffi- 



76 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

culties can occur, and those can be removed; and 
each can make it the great object of life to assist 
the other in preparing for the changeless world to 
which both are hastening. 

"A good writer, addressing husbands and wives, 
wrote : ' Pilgrims of earth, henceforward walk to- 
gether, and neglect not in the beginning of your 
journey the favor of Heaven. Kneel together, that 
your joy may be hallowed.' The angels around 
you will rejoice if you thus begin your journey to- 
gether. If you wish to be happy, confide, love, be 
patient, be faithful, firm and holy. Then you will 
be haunted by no memory of plaints and pleadings 
neglected as you turn to the past. If you walk 
together in love, the rich blessing of earthly hap- 
piness will be showered upon you." 

If I had known, in the morning, 
How wearily all the day 

The words unkind 

Would trouble my mind 
I said when you went away, 
I had been more careful, darling, 
Nor given you needless pain; 

But we vex " our own " 

With look and tone 
We might never take back again. 

For though in the quiet evening 
You may give me the kiss of peace, 

Yet it might be 

That never for me 
The pain of the heart should cease. 
How many go forth in the morning 
That never come home at night, 

And hearts have broken, 

For harsh words spoken, 
That sorrow can never set right. 



Husbands and Wives. 77 

We have careful thoughts for the stranger, 
And smiles for the sometime guest, 

But for " our own " 

The bitter tone, 
Though we love " our own " the best. 
Ah, lips with the curve impatient! 
Ah, brow with the look of scorn! 

'Twere a cruel fate 

Were the night too late 
To undo the work of morn. 




4 i § 




o 



CHAPTER VII. 



The Training of Children. 

Notwithstanding Mrs. Fanning was never a 
mother, she could, and did, give very helpful ad- 
vice to mothers and fathers in regard to training 
their children. On that subject she wrote: 

" Some of the girls who were with us in other, 
and brighter, days think they ought still to hear 
from the old place they loved so well. They for- 
get that all who then made it bright and pleasant 
are far away, and that if the roll of those days 
should be called, I alone could answer : ' Here ! ' 
They seem to think I may still help them along 
the paths they are walking — may aid them in the 
difficult task of bringing up the children God has 
given them. I have been much impressed of late 
with the need of good government in the house- 
hold ; and if I can write anything that will be help- 
ful along that line, I shall be glad to do so. 

" I would first suggest to mothers that they must 
govern themselves if they would govern the young 
souls committed to their care. I know, by expe- 
rience and observation, that one who lacks self- 
control can never control others. I sometimes visit 
a family that I pity greatly. The mother often 
frets, fumes and gets angry at trifles. She often 
uses, in speaking to her children, language that 
wounds, depresses, provokes to anger. The chil- 
dren, hearing such language, are inoculated with 
the spirit of unkindness, which bursts out in angry 



80 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

words at any time — at all times. There is in that 
family no idea of self-control, and therefore no hap- 
piness. 

" The needs of children are, at first, all animal. 
Upon the mother, then, devolves the duty of lead- 
ing out and developing the moral and spiritual na- 
ture of the child. A child must be taught good- 
ness — correct principles — by the mother. If she 
fails in that duty, the child is apt to fail in moral 
principle. Pure, true men and women are, in most 
instances, those whose mothers were pure, thought- 
ful women. If the mother sows good seed in the 
morning of the child's life, it usually springs up 
and brings forth, thirty, sixty, and often a hun- 
dred, fold. How many sons of poor widows have 
been distinguished for goodness and talent ! In- 
deed, for usefulness in the moral and spiritual 
world we may usually look among those who were, 
in boyhood, hard-pinched mill boys, plowboys and 
'' diggers up of tree roots.' 

" Children should hear but few commands, and 
those in a slow, quiet way, that there may be no 
mistake ; and prompt obedience should, of course, 
be required of them. Turbulent temper and self- 
will may be subdued by a mother's calm and pa- 
tient spirit. An aged man once rebuked a young 
mother for speaking impatiently to her son. He 
said : ' In our family were five boys. My father 
was a farmer, and was rough in manner ; but my 
mother was a Christian lady. I never, in my life, 
heard her utter a loud, angry word. Her gentle, 
loving tones, her untiring patience, completely 
curbed my father's roughness and controlled the 
strong passions of our boyhood. We almost wor- 
shiped that gentle being; and when God called her 



The Training of Children. 81 

home, the sunlight went out of our dwelling. Four 
of her boys imbibed her spirit and became earnest 
preachers of the gospel of Christ. I still, in mem- 
ory, hear the gentle tones of her sweet voice, and 
my heart is always grieved when I hear a mother 
speak harshly to her child.' 

" If .there are women who need, more than all 
others, help to walk in the strait and narrow way, 
it must be those who have little children about 
them, dependent upon their care. Surely no oth- 
ers have so many trials of patience and of pru- 
dence. It is not strange that they sometimes fail, 
through lack of encouragement and tender consid- 
eration. Many mothers are weak and suffering — 
scarcely equal to the duties devolving upon them — 
and to always be patient and tender and firm and 
gentle and kind requires the deepest thought, the 
most earnest prayer." 

In regard to the responsibility of parents she 
wrote : 

"A great responsibility rests upon parents to 
train the young minds and hearts of their children 
in the good and right way. The reflection that 
those tender souls are as imperishable as eternity 
should urge them to unceasing efforts to make of 
their children what the God of eternity would have 
them be. Children grow up very fast. They can 
make the journey through this world but once, and 
neglect in early years is hard to repair. The im- 
portant matter is for parents to be sincere, earnest 
Christians, who understand the value of the present 
time and the priceless value of the beings com- 
mitted to their care. 

" If parents wish their children to be truthful, 



82 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

they must tell their children nothing but truth. 
When your children know you tell them the truth 
and expect the same from them because you love 
the truth, they will love and respect you. Prom- 
ises, whether of reward or punishment, made to 
children should be kept to the letter. It is, how- 
ever, a mistake to attempt to govern a child by 
threats. It is sometimes said to little ones, ' The 
dogs will catch you, if you are naughty ; ' or, ' The 
bears will eat you, if you cry.' They should never 
be frightened by such falsehoods. They sometimes 
suffer intensely from fear. 'An old man cometh 
up covered with a mantle/ said the witch of En- 
dor to Saul ; and Charles Lamb says he spent, when 
a child, hours of suffering at night, wondering what 
was under the mantle. He had seen a picture of 
that scene, and could not forget it." 

On the subject of " Early Instruction " she 
wrote : 

"Jewish parents were commanded to teach their 
children the fear of God. ' Hear, O Israel : the 
Lord our God is one Lord : and thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy 
soul, and with all thy might. And these words, 
which I command thee this day, shall be in thine 
heart : and thou shalt teach them diligently unto 
thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou 
sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the 
way, and when thou liest down, and when thou 
risest up.' (Deut 6: 4-7.) It was to be their con- 
stant business, under all circumstances. The same 
duty devolves now upon Christians, and all should 
feel the great responsibility. The children of reli- 
gious parents, however, often live without a correct 



The Training of Children. 83 

knowledge of God, and die without hope, for lack 
of early instruction. 

"An impressive instance of this truth came un- 
der my observation many years ago. The mother 
of a bright, intelligent girl whom I knew well was, 
although a member of a religious organization, very 
worldly. Her daughter naturally followed in her 
steps. She dearly loved the beautiful adornments 
of dress and the pleasurable excitement of balls, 
parties and theaters. She put away all thought of 
a future life, and lived for this world only. She 
married and moved to a Southern city, and for sev- 
eral years I lost sight of her. 

" She finally returned to her mother's home, dy- 
ing of consumption, but still gay and worldly. A 
friend who was sitting up with her one night, think- 
ing she should be apprized of her condition, gently 
told her she could not recover, and must soon pass 
away from earth and its pleasures. She cried 
aloud for her mother, who came hurrying into her 
room. ' Mother,' she said, ' you trained me for this 
life only. I have loved the world and its follies, 
and have not thought of God and eternity. Now 
I must die. What shall I do ? What shall I do ? ' 
Her mother could give her no comfort in her terri- 
ble distress. She sent for a preacher to pray away 
the effect of her life's teaching, but it was too late. 
While he prayed for her soul's salvation, she passed 
away. She had spent her earthly life in sinful 
pleasures, and died without the hope of life eternal 
in the world to come. 

" Had her mother instructed her in the Scrip- 
tures and taught her the way of life, in her inno- 
cent girlhood, in all probability she would have 



84 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

lived, and died, a Christian, with a sure founda- 
tion for hope of life immortal. 

" Only a few weeks ago a faithful mother whom 
I knew well left this life, eager to enter into the 
rest that remains for the people of God. She loved 
the Bible, and taught it to her children from in- 
fancy. All are members of the kingdom of Christ, 
and some eminently useful. How sweet to look 
back over life and know that its morning, noon 
and evening have been rich in blessings for good 
that will be felt throughout the endless ages of 
eternity ! " 

In another article she wrote: 

" The religious instruction of children should be, 
but seldom is, a home work. It is usually com- 
mitted to preachers and teachers of Sunday schools 
— to any one who is willing to undertake it. A 
good mother can do more than any one else in 
training her children in the love and fear of God, 
but many mothers are too busy to devote much 
time to such work. No one can take the place of 
a father in bringing up his children ' in the nur- 
ture and admonition of the Lord,' but fathers often 
neglect that all-important duty. Many families are 
united in the bonds of affection, but few in the 
bonds of religion. Serious thoughts pertaining to 
the future life are seldom expressed in the home 
circle. They are repressed, rather than encour- 
aged. It has been said : ' Where religion is not the 
ruling principle in a household, there is no real 
home. The joys of that house will be sources of 
future sorrow; its affections, ropes of sand.' 

" I read, a short time ago, of a family that met 
for prayer, at a certain hour, every day. One 



The Training of Children. - 85 

of the younger members of the family, while ab- 
sent from home, was strongly tempted and was on 
the point of doing wrong. Just at that moment he 
heard a clock strike the hour of their evening 
prayer. He knew all in his far-off home were rev- 
erently coming together and bowing in prayer. He 
knew he would be earnestly recommended, by 
name, to God's holy keeping during his absence. 
He was enabled to resist the temptation, with 
thankfulness of heart for parents who walked 
prayerfully before God." 

Mrs. Fanning felt tender sympathy for bereaved 
parents. Of the death of a young friend and the 
grief of his mother she wrote : 

" To-day I have been to the house of mourning. 
A mother is weeping for her only son, and can- 
not be comforted because he is not here. He was 
her treasure. She cared for him in his childhood 
with the tenderness that only a mother can feel. 
She was his dearest friend and counselor in boy- 
hood, and guided his steps in the trials and diffi- 
culties of youth. She looked forward to the time 
when her noble boy, in the strength and vigor of 
manhood, would be her stay and support. His 
mother's love was the purest, sweetest tie that 
bound him to earth. When ties so strong are sev- 
ered by death, who can tell the anguish of the 
mother in her loneliness? 

" It is sometimes said to those bowed down with 
sorrow, ' Weep not ; ' but weep we must when those 
we so tenderly love leave us. Tears are the relief 
and solace of nature. 'Jesus wept,' and the im- 
perishable record of his tears soothes our aching 
hearts. He wept for the sorrow of his friends 



86 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

when a loved one had passed beyond the grave's 
dark portals. He once stood beside the bier of 
one who was an only son and whose mother was a 
widow, and said to her, 'Weep not;' but his life- 
giving word that moment loosed the fetters of 
death, and the son she mourned stood at her side, 
living and smiling on her. Does he not remem- 
ber, amid the joy and glory of his Father's home, 
the clinging love of his mortal mother, and look 
with tender compassion on the broken-hearted 
mothers of earth to-day? 

" Though the son our sister mourns passed away 
in early youth, he had bowed to the authority of 
the Savior and walked reverently in the truth. 
The silver cord of his life was early loosed, the 
golden bowl broken, and his spirit returned to God 
who gave it. , May the weeping mother look to our 
loving Savior for comfort and consolation in this 
hour of bitter sorrow, for he alone can speak peace 
to her troubled soul. He bore, when on earth, a 
load of grief, and was ' made perfect through suf- 
fering,' and all who would live with him in glory 
must pass under the rod of affliction — must be pu- 
rified in the crucible of sorrow." 



# 



God's Way. 

Our way had been to smooth her upward road, 
Easing the pressure of each heavy load; 

Never to let her white hands know a soil, 
Never her back to feel the ache of toil. 

Could we have shielded her from every care, 
Kept her forever young and blithe and fair, 






The Training of Children. 87 

And from her body warded every pain, 
As from her spirit all distress and stain — 

This had been joy of joys, our chosen way. 
God led her by a different path each day. 

Sorrow and work and anxious care he gave, 
And strife and anguish, till her soul grew brave. 

Through weary nights she leaned upon his love, 
Through cloudy days she fixed her gaze above. 

Her dear ones vanished, but in faith and trust 
She knew them safe beyond the perished dust. 

Refined by suffering, like a little child 

She grew; into her Father's face she smiled. 

And then one day of days an angel came; 

In flutelike notes she heard him breathe her name. 

Perhaps from out the rifted heaven she saw 
Her mother's face look forth; in raptured awe 

We caught the last swift glory of her eyes, 
Ere, sleeping here, she woke in paradise. 

God's way was best, with reverent lips we say; 
God's way is best, and praise our God to-day. 




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CHAPTER VIII. 



The English Bible. 

The facts in the following brief external history 
of the English Bible were culled, by Mrs. Fanning, 
from an article in the London Quarterly: 

" The first translation of the Bible into the Eng- 
lish language is that of the venerable Bede, and the 
close of his work is thus described : ' On the 26th 
of May, 735, he was dying. On a low bed lay the 
aged man. His wasted frame and sunken eyes pro- 
claimed that he was not long for this world. Near 
him sat a young scribe, with an open scroll and a 
pen in his hand. Looking affectionately on the 
face of the dying man, he said : " Now, dearest mas- 
ter, there remains only one chapter, but the exer- 
tion is too great for you." " Nay, it is easy, my 
son ; it is easy," said the dying man. " Take your 
pen and write quickly. I know not how soon my 
Maker may call me." Sentence after sentence was 
uttered slowly and painfully, and written by the 
scribe. Nature seemed exhausted. Again the boy 
spoke : " Dear master, only one sentence is lacking." 
That one sentence was given in feeble accents. 
" It is finished," said the scribe. " It is finished," re- 
peated the dying saint ; and then he added : " Lift 
up my head and place me where I am accustomed 
to pray." With tender care he was placed as he 
desired. Then, clasping his hands, he exclaimed : 
" Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the 



90 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Holy Ghost ! " At the last word his spirit passed 
away.' 

" Thus died the venerable Bede, and thus was 
completed the first Anglo-Saxon translation of the 
Gospel recorded by John. Alfred the Great, in the 
ninth century, placed at the head of his laws a 
translation of the Ten Commandments and other 
portions of sacred scripture. He desired that 
the English youth should read the English Scrip- 
tures_, but not until long after his time was this 
end attained. In 1004 the Archbishop of York 
translated into English considerable portions of the 
Bible for the use of his countrymen. 

" Our knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon translations 
of that early period is very imperfect. No critical 
examination of the numerous manuscripts in the 
libraries of England has yet been made — not even 
at Oxford and Cambridge. In the fourteenth cen- 
tury the power of the pope was almost supreme in 
England. He endeavored to rob the people of all 
liberty and patriotism. The clergy were devoted 
to him. The infallible authority of the Catholic 
Church alone could determine the meaning of scrip- 
ture. The people were taught to bow submissively 
to him and commit mind and conscience to his 
keeping. 

" The first man whose eyes were opened to the 
degradation of his country was John Wickliffe, born 
in England in 1324. His attention was turned to 
the great need of the age in which he lived — the 
best means to instruct the masses. He determined 
to give them the Bible in their own tongue, and in 
1356 he began the work of translation. Strange 
to say, he began at the book of Revelation. He 
assailed the monks who had overspread England, 



The English Bible* 91 

exposing their immorality, craftiness and lies. He 
declared their whole system to be contrary to the 
word of God. The appeal to the Bible as the sole 
standard of truth was the beginning of a new era 
in England. It laid the foundation of liberty of 
conscience. Erelong Wickliffe attracted the atten- 
tion of the greatest and best people in the land. 

"A translation of the gospel records of Matthew, 
Mark, Luke and John followed the translation of 
Revelation, and he completed the translation of the 
New Testament in 1380. He was charged with 
heresy, and summoned before an ecclesiastical as- 
sembly at Oxford, and, later, one at Rome, to an- 
swer for that crime. His health had long been fail- 
ing, and about that time his Master took him from a 
world not worthy of him. After his death it was 
decreed by ecclesiastical authority that his body 
should not rest in ' consecrated ground,' and forty- 
three years after his burial all that remained of 
Wickliffe's body was gathered together and burned 
and the ashes thrown into the river Swift, a branch 
of the Avon. Fuller says : ' The Avon conveyed 
them to the Severn ; the Severn, to the sea ; and 
thus the ashes of Wickliffe are the emblem of his 
doctrine, which is now dispersed over all the world.' 

" Wickliffe's translation seems to have had great 
circulation. More than one hundred and seventy 
copies are still in existence. Some of them be- 
longed to the highest personages of the land : Henry 
VI., Richard II., Queen Elizabeth, Bishop Bonner. 
The style is rugged and homely. The English lan- 
guage was then in its infancy, and Wickliffe's trans- 
lation was not fitted to occupy a permanent place. 

" In 1523, nearly a century and a half after its 
publication, the design of a new translation of the 



92 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Scriptures ripened in the mind of an English 
scholar, William Tyndale. He was born about the 
year 1484, and at a very early age was sent to Ox- 
ford, which was one of the most celebrated schools 
of learning then existing. There he attained high 
rank, and was particularly distinguished for his 
knowledge of the tongues. He was a member of 
the Romish Church, in 1502 was ordained a priest, 
and in 1508 became a friar in the monastery at 
Greenwich. We are not informed of the circum- 
stances which induced him to withdraw from this 
relation, but about 1521 he returned to his native 
Gloucestershire and accepted the office of tutor in 
the family of Sir John Walsh. 

" The hospitable mansion of his patron was a 
favorite resort of the prelates and clergy of the 
neighborhood, and discussions frequently arose at 
the table in respect to the doctrines and measures 
of Luther, which were then attracting much atten- 
tion in England. The dogmatism and ignorance 
exhibited by the clerical visitors on such occasions 
often drew from the modest tutor a spirited defense 
of Luther and an earnest recommendation to try 
his views. by the New Testament. On one such 
occasion a popish clergyman remarked to Tyndale, 
in reply to an earnest plea for a vernacular Bible: 
' We had better be without God's laws than the 
pope's.' ' I defy the pope and all his laws,' cried 
the indignant Reformer ; ' and if God spares my life, 
ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the 
plow to know more of the Scriptures than either 
you or the pope ' — a pledge he nobly redeemed at 
the price of exile, poverty, toil and persecution, 
and, finally, a martyr's death. 

" In 1523 Tyndale began the translation of the 



The English Bible. 93 

New Testament, but he soon found there was not, 
in all England, a safe place where he could con- 
tinue his work. He, therefore, sought an asylum 
at Hamburg. He spent a year there, and published 
the first part of the Holy Scriptures ever printed 
in the English language — the Gospel as recorded by 
Matthew and Mark. He afterwards went to Co- 
logne, which was famous for its printing estab- 
lishments. His translation of the New Testament 
was complete. It was made from the original 
Greek, of which language he had acquired a pro- 
found knowledge. At Cologne the work was put 
to the press and three thousand copies ordered to 
be issued. But a wine-drinking printer, who could 
not keep a secret, gave a description of the book 
to a cunning priest. The priest wrote to the King 
of England, Cardinal Wolsey and the Bishop of 
Rochester that the New Testament was being 
printed in English. An order to seize Tyndale was 
issued, but he escaped up the Rhine, with all his 
books and manuscripts. In 1526 many copies that 
had been shipped to England were seized and 
burned in London before St. Paul's Cathedral. The 
work of destruction was so complete that only a 
fragment of one copy is known now to exist. 

" Between 1525 and 1530 six editions of Tyndale's 
translation, comprising not less than eighteen thou- 
sand copies, were printed, and the demand was so 
great that they were readily sold. The leaders in 
the English Church were furious, and used all pos- 
sible means to get possession of the books. The 
Bishop of London went to Antwerp and arranged 
with a London merchant settled there to buy up 
Tyndale's books at any price, that they might be 
burned. Tyndale, who had been harassed with 



94 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

debt, secured means to settle his indebtedness, and 
soon thereafter issued a larger and more accurate 
edition. In 1531 he published the Pentateuch. 
This was the first portion of the Old Testament 
translated into English out of the original Hebrew, 
which language Tyndale had studied with the Jew- 
ish rabbins. The fierce hostility of the King of 
England and the burning of so many of Tyndale's 
books seem to have checked the sale of the Scrip- 
tures, but he still devoted all his energies to the 
revision of the New Testament and the translation 
of the remaining books of the Old Testament. He 
not only reexamined the Greek text with critical 
minuteness, but evidently consulted the German 
of Luther and the Latin of Erasmus. 

" In 1535 he was basely betrayed by a man named 
Phillips, who was sent to Antwerp by Henry VIII, 
and his popish council, and was dragged away to 
a castle near Brussels. While he was in prison, 
a new edition of his Testament — the last revised 
by ' himself — was published at Antwerp. This 
grand work was finished as his noble life drew 
to its close. On the 6th of October, 1536, he was 
burned at the stake. His last words were worthy 
of the cause for which he lived and for which he 
died. Standing amid the fagots at the stake, he 
lifted his hands and prayed : • Lord ! open the King 
of England's eyes.' 

" Tyndale had no purpose to serve. He belonged 
to no party. He was a student of God's word, and 
the object of his labors was to place the English 
reader in direct contact with the sacred writers. 
Even his enemies praised his scholarship. One of 
them wrote in 1536: 'Six thousand copies of the 
English Testament have been printed at Worms 



The English Bible. 95 

by an Englishman who is so complete a master of 
seven languages — Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Italian, 
Spanish. English and French — that one would im- 
agine whichever one he speaks in is his mother 
tongue.' 

" In 1537, not quite a year after Tyndale's mar- 
tyrdom, a complete English version of the Bible 
was freely distributed in England by the authority 
of the king. Tyndale's prayer was answered. 

" Before Tyndale's imprisonment he had formed 
a close friendship with John Rogers, a man of kin- 
dred spirit with himself, and who also suffered 
martyrdom. Rogers met with him at Antwerp. 
He was convinced of the errors of Rome, and be- 
came an ardent student of the sacred Scriptures. 
His name was connected with Tyndale's in revision 
and translation. After Tyndale's death he contin- 
ued the work, and in 1537 published, under the 
feigned name of Thomas Mathew and with license 
from the king, a complete English version of. the 
Bible. It was probably printed at Marburg or 
Hamburg. 

" Two years previous to the publication of 
Mathew's Bible, an English version, bearing the 
name of Miles Coverdale, was printed at Zurich. 
It is said to be the first complete English Bible 
ever printed. It was dedicated to Henry VIII., 
and was freely admitted into England. This may 
be regarded as the first authorized version. In 1536 
a new and revised edition was issued, and that was 
the first Bible printed in England. The Great Bi- 
ble — so called because of its size, also called Cran- 
mer's Bible — was published in 1539. 

" The demand among the English people for Bi- 
bles was so great that it was almost impossible to 



96 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

supply it. Edition after edition issued from the 
press. In 1534 five editions of the English New 
Testament were printed at Antwerp ; in 1535 were 
printed four editions of the New Testament and 
one of the Bible; in 1536, ten editions of the New 
Testament and one of the Bible; in 1537, two edi- 
tions of the Bible; in 1538, seven editions of the 
New Testament; in 1539, four of the New Testa- 
ment and four of the Bible; in 1540, four of the 
Bible and three of the New Testament. 

" In most of the editions the copies were large 
and costly, but they were sold readily, and read 
with great eagerness. From the date Tyndale's 
New Testament was printed — 1525 — to 1542, not 
•less than thirty-nine editions of the New Testament 
and fourteen of the whole Bible were issued. The 
effect of the circulation of the Scriptures was won- 
derful. People of all ranks seemed animated by 
an irresistible desire to read and hear the word of 
God. Those who would read in public had crowds 
of eager listeners. People flocked to the churches, 
where ponderous Bibles, chained to massive pillars, 
lay open upon stands for the use of the public. 
Bishop Tunstall, who had burned Tyndale's books, 
was ordered by the king to prepare a new edition 
of the very book he had helped to burn. 

" In 1542 a change took place. The papal party 
gained the ascendency in England. Tyndale's Bi- 
ble was proscribed. Only those of noble birth were 
permitted to read the Scriptures, and violations of 
that rule were punished by imprisonment. On the 
death of Henry VIII. , in 1547, his son, Edward VI., 
succeeded to the throne of England, and the re- 
forming party — the Protestants — again rose to 
power. At the coronation of the young king a Bi- 



The English Bible. 97 

ble was carried before him, and during the cere- 
mony he uttered these remarkable words : ? This 
book is the sword of the Spirit. Without it, we 
are nothing — can do nothing. From it, we are what 
we are to-day.' During his short reign of six years, 
not less than thirty-five editions of the New Testa- 
ment and fifteen of the entire Bible were published. 

" In 1553, Mary — known in history as Bloody 
Mary — a sister of Edward — ascended the throne. 
She was a zealous Catholic, and, during her reign of 
five years, not a Testament or a Bible was published 
in England. Rogers, Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley 
and others, who had helped to give the English 
Bible to the English people, were burned at the 
stake. Latimer's prayer, or prophecy, like that of 
Tyndale's, was answered. He said to Ridley, as 
they both stood chained to a stake, with bags of 
gunpowder about them : ' Be of good comfort, Mas- 
ter Ridley, and play the man. By God's grace we 
shall this day light such a candle in England as, 
I trust, shall never be put out.' 

" More than three hundred persons suffered 
death at the stake during Queen Mary's reign, and 
many others were driven from their native country 
and forced to seek an asylum in Geneva. That city 
was the center of biblical learning. John Calvin's 
eloquence, sagacity and profound scholarship had 
effected a great reformation in church and State, 
and the minds of the English exiles were turned 
to the need of another version of the Scriptures 
more accurate than any that had previously been 
issued. Robert Stephens, who had proved himself 
a profound scholar and a careful editor, was then 
in Geneva. A brother-in-law of Calvin, who had 
been educated at Oxforci, revised the New Testa- 



98 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

ment. He was an accurate scholar, with sound 
judgment and keen perception of the style and 
phraseology best adapted to set forth the meaning 
of the sacred text. Tyndale's version was his basis. 
At Robert Stephens' suggestion, the chapters were 
divided into verses, and another change may be 
noted. Words that had no equivalents in the orig- 
inal and were added to complete the sense were 
printed in Italics. A revision of the Old Testa- 
ment was commenced as soon as the New Testa- 
ment was completed. 

" The names of the revisers are not all known, 
but all were men of competent scholarship and pro- 
found biblical knowledge. The Great Bible was 
adopted as the basis, but its text was revised and 
brought into closer correspondence with the He- 
brew. The Genevan Bible was far superior to any 
that had preceded it. It is the best in the English 
language, except the Authorized Version of King 
James, and was long the Bible of the English peo- 
ple. It almost supplanted all others — retained its 
place for eighty years and passed through about 
one hundred and eighty editions. It was the first 
English Bible printed in Roman type. 

" Queen Mary died in 1558. Elizabeth, a Prot- 
estant, succeeded to the throne, and to her the 
Genevan Bible was dedicated. Soon after her ac- 
cession it was deemed important to prepare a ver- 
sion that might be authorized by the rulers of 
church and State and acceptable to all sects and 
classes in the nation. None of those previously 
published had attained that end. 

" The translation was made under the leadership 
of Archbishop Parker. From the fact that most of 
the revisers were bishops it was called ' The Bish-, 



The English Bible. 99 

ops' Bible.' The revision was commenced in 1564 
and finished in 1568. It was a magnificent folio 
volume, styled ' The Holie Bible.' The New Tes- 
tament was further revised, and a new edition of 
the entire Bible appeared in 1572. The Bishops' 
Bible did not satisfy the needs of the church, nor 
did it gain the affection of the people, and the Ge- 
nevan Bible was still preferred by them. The 
Bishops' Bible, however, is said to deserve the at- 
tention of every student, as it formed the basis of 
our Authorized Version, although the latter was 
prepared on different, and far sounder, principles. 

"A translation was made by the Roman Cath- 
olics in 1582. It is said to have been so rendered 
in the text and so interpreted as to pervert the 
plain sense. It is described as a mass of bigotry, 
sophistry and unfairness. 

" Soon after the accession of James I. — who suc- 
ceeded Elizabeth in 1603 — a conference of the lead- 
ing clergy was held at Hampton Court. It was 
suggested that there should be a new translation 
of the Bible. Fifty-four of the first scholars of the 
kingdom Were nominated for the work. They were 
chosen on the ground of eminent qualification alone, 
without reference to sect or party. Some of them 
were professors of Greek and Hebrew at Oxford 
and Cambridge. Some were acquainted with Ara- 
bic; others, with modern, as well as ancient, lan- 
guages ; and all were deeply imbued with the spirit 
of the sacred writers. 

-■ Before commencing their labors they received 
a code of instructions. The Bishops' Bible was to 
form the basis and to be as little altered as the 
original would permit. Ecclesiastical words were 
to be retained, When a word had different mean- 

LOFC. 



100 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

ings, the translators were to retain that meaning 
which best accorded with the use of the fathers, the 
propriety of the place and the analogy of faith. 
The division of chapters was to remain, and dis- 
puted passages to be reserved for a general meeting 
of the leading translators. Men of known learning, 
wherever found, were to be consulted, and such 
persons were requested to forward hints or sug- 
gestions to the translators. They were allowed to 
refer to Tyndale's, Coverdale's, Mathew's Bibles, 
the Great Bible and the Genevan, when they agreed 
better with the original than the Bishops' Bible. 

"All arrangements were completed in 1604, and 
many entered at once upon their duties. Of the 
fifty-four selected, only forty-seven began the work. 
They were divided into six classes. Each member 
of each class translated all the books intrusted to 
the class, then the whole class met, and, after care- 
ful and thorough revision, adopted one text. That 
text was transmitted to each of the other classes 
for revision ; then a copy of the whole Bible ap- 
proved by the six classes was submitted to the final 
revision of six delegates. In 1610 three copies of 
the entire Scriptures, thus revised, were sent to 
London. These were reviewed by twelve of the 
most eminent scholars of that day, who spent nine 
months in careful examination of the work. The 
manuscript, thus revised and completed, was put 
into the hands of Dr. Smith, a profound Oriental 
scholar, who, assisted by the Bishop of Winchester, 
prepared it for the press and corrected the proof. 
A more complete system could scarcely have been 
adopted. 

" The entire time spent upon this translation of 
the Bible was seven years — three years in prelim- 



The English Bible. 101 

inary arrangements, three more in the systematic 
and united work of the six classes, and another year 
in careful revision and publication. It was pub- 
lished in 1611. Dr. Smith wrote a preface to the 
book, in which he gave a clear account of the mode 
in which the work was conducted and the time and 
pains spent upon it. That important preface is 
usually omitted, though the fulsome dedication to 
King James is retained. 

" The translators sought help wherever it might 
be found. Every verse was weighed with scrupu- 
lous care. Everything was adopted that tended 
to make the translation more literal and plain, more 
terse and forcible. The original texts were the 
standards of appeal ; but, in investigating the real 
sense, every assistance, from both ancient and mod- 
ern versions, was utilized. Great effort was made 
to express the sense in vigorous, idiomatic English. 
No point was considered too minute for the labo- 
rious and conscientious reviewers. 

" The facts mentioned herein show the great cost 
of time, labor and anxious care, as well as the schol- 
arship, by which the English Bible was produced. 
Its external history, which is here very imperfectly 
given, cannot fail to infuse into the mind a deeper 
veneration for it and a fuller confidence in its faith- 
fulness. There is a romance in some of its inci- 
dents, a pathos in its tragic scenes, that fix it in 
memory and endear it to the hearts of Christians. 
The translators were thoroughly in earnest, moved 
to their work, and sustained in it, by a higher power 
than human power. Neither persecution nor dan- 
ger of death could shake their resolve to give to 
their countrymen the true words of God in their 



10 2 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

own tongue, and in pursuance of that resolve some 
of them gave, up life itself. 

" King James' translation — the Authorized Ver- 
sion — has been examined by the ablest scholars and 
critics in this and other lands, and all have borne 
testimony to its extraordinary grace and beauty. 
Bishop Middleton says : f It is far superior to any- 
thing that might be expected from the style of our 
age.' One who left the Church of England for the 
Church of Rome wrote : ' Who will not say that the 
uncommon beauty and marvelous English of the 
Protestant Bible is not one of the great strong- 
holds of Protestantism in this country? It lives 
in the ear like a music that can never be forgot- 
ten, like the sound of church bells which the con- 
vert hardly knows how he can forego. Its felici- 
ties seem to be almost things, instead of words. 
It is part of the national mind and the anchor of 
national seriousness. The memory of the dead 
passes into it; the potent traditions of childhood 
are stereotyped in its verses. The power of all the 
griefs and trials of a man is hidden beneath its 
words. In the length and breadth of the land there 
is not a Protestant with religious feeling whose 
spiritual biography is not in his Saxon Bible.' 

" In simplicity of style, in general dignity and 
vigor of expression, it has never been equaled. It 
pervades the whole literature of the country. Its 
pithy sentiments, its pointed proverbs, its happy 
turns of expression, its noble figures, are on every 
lip. It has entered the very hearts of the people. 
Its blemishes, too numerous as we acknowledge 
them to be, change no fact, alter no precept, ob- 
scure no doctrine. They simply mar the surface, 
and this we should, with delicate hand, remedy; but 



The English Bible. 103 

they do not mar the exquisite symmetry or touch 
the firm foundation of revealed truth. To the eye 
of a critic a word may be out of place ; the beauty 
of a sentence may be spoiled by an obsolete phrase ; 
a human corruption may be here or there inserted, 
a fragment of a precept or promise misplaced or 
wandering; but the divine word itself is there in 
all its substantial integrity." 

To continue this brief history of the English Bi- 
ble, I have added to it the following : 

The question of revising the "Authorized Ver- 
sion " — King James' Version, as it is styled — was 
discussed at various times after its publication in 
1611. Many who appreciated its simplicity, vigor 
and beauty realized that it did, indeed, contain 
blemishes — mistranslations, obsolete phrases, hu- 
man corruptions — that should, " with delicate 
hand," be removed. Private attempts to revise it 
were made at various times, and these attempts 
gave impulse to the cause of revision and aided 
materially in the work, when it was at last under- 
taken. The question did not assume definite shape, 
however, till 1870, when it was brought before the 
Convocation of the Province of Canterbury, En- 
gland, by S. Wilberforce, Bishop of Winchester. 
That body adopted resolutions looking to a revi- 
sion of the Authorized Version, limiting the altera- 
tions to be made " to passages where plain and clear 
errors should, upon due investigation, be found to 
exist." 

That movement resulted in the formation of two 
companies or committees, each composed of twenty- 
seven of the best biblical scholars of Great Britain, 
one company to revise the Old, the other the New, 



104 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Testament. The committees agreed upon the fol- 
lowing rules, among others : 

"As few alterations to be made in the text as 
shall be found consistent with faithfulness. 

" The expression of such alterations to be con- 
fined, as far as possible, to the language of the 
Authorized, and earlier English, versions. 

" Each company to go over their work twice 
The decision in the first, or provisional, revision 
to be by simple majorities; and in the final revi- 
sion, by a majority of not less than two-thirds of 
those present." 

The expenses of the work were provided for by 
sale of the copyright. An arrangement was made 
with Oxford and Cambridge by which the presses 
of the two universities agreed to provide a sum 
sufficient to pay the bare expenses of producing 
the work — traveling expenses, printing, etc. — in 
return for the copyright. The revisers gave their 
time and labor as a free contribution to the great 
work in which they were invited to join. 

After the work was fairly in progress in England, 
negotiations were opened with biblical scholars in 
America ; and, finally, two American committees, 
similar to the English committees, were formed, 
and the two sets of revisers remained in close touch 
with each other throughout the course of their la- 
bors. It was agreed that the English committees 
should, from time to time, submit to the American 
committees such portions of their work as should 
pass the first revision, and the American commit- 
tees should transmit to the British companies their 
criticisms and suggestions before the second revi- 
sion. 

It was also agreed that, on all points of difference, 



The English Bible. 105 

the English committees, who had the initiative in 
the work of revision, should have the decisive vote. 
As an offset to this, the English committees agreed 
that American preferences should be published as 
an Appendix in every copy of the Revised Version 
during a period of fourteen years. The American 
committees pledged themselves to give, for the 
same limited period, no sanction to the publica- 
tion of any editions of the Revised Version than 
those issued by the university presses of England. 

The English committees represented, of course 
the Church of England exclusively. The American 
committees were composed of Baptists, Methodists, 
Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Epis- 
copalians, and Unitarians. 

The work of revision began in June, 1870. The 
Old Testament companies held bimonthly meetings 
of ten days each ; the New Testament companies, 
monthly meetings of four days each. The revision 
of the Xew Testament was completed and pub- 
lished in 1881 ; that of the Old Testament, in 1885. 

There were many points of difference between 
the English and the American committees — points 
upon which they failed to ultimately agree. The 
American committees insisted, among other things, 
upon the substitution of "Jehovah " for " Lord " 
and "God," "Holy Spirit" for "Holy Ghost," 
" Sheol " for " the grave " and " hell," " who " and 
" that " for " which " when referring to persons, 
and upon dropping the popish prefix " Saint " from 
the names of the inspired writers of the Xew Tes- 
tament, preferring plain " Paul " and " Peter " and 
"John" to "St. Paul," "St. Peter," "St. John." 
According to agreement, the English preferences 
were embodied in the Revised Version and the 



106 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

American preferences appeared as an Appendix 
thereto. 

It was hoped that the university presses might 
eventually adopt in English editions such of the 
American preferences as should receive the ap- 
proval of scholars and the general public, thus 
amalgamating the two sets of revisions. But soon 
after the completion of their work in 1885 the Eng- 
lish revision companies disbanded, and there was 
no intimation on the part of the presses to adopt 
the readings of the Appendix, either wholly or in 
part, in the text of the English editions. The judg- 
ment of scholars, however, so far approved the 
American preferences that it was thought expedient 
to issue a revised version with those preferences 
embodied in the text. With that end in view, the 
American revision committees continued their or- 
ganization and engaged in making ready for such 
publication. In 1901, the fourteen years covered 
by their agreement with the English committees 
having expired, they gave to the world the result 
of their labors in the "American Standard Edition 
of the Revised Version." 

That edition of the Revised Version — not the re- 
vised Bible, as it is sometimes styled — perhaps 
brings the reader more closely into contact with 
the exact thoughts of the sacred writers than any 
translation of the Bible now current. It has not 
yet become the Bible of the people. If it shall ever 
supersede the Authorized Version, it must, of ne- 
cessity, win its way slowly. It has, however, much 
to commend it to students of the Bible — and all 
Christians should be students of that Book of books, 
of course. The division of the text into paragraphs 
and the distinguishing of poetry from prose and 



The English Bible. 107 

quotations from the words of the sacred writers are 
very helpful. Many mistranslations of the Author- 
ized Version are corrected, obscure or faulty ren- 
derings made clear, obsolete terms and phrases su- 
perseded by terms in common use. Hence., as a 
companion to the Authorized Version — as a book 
of reference — it is invaluable. Its exclusive use in 
the Bible schools that are springing up all over the 
land has a great effect in making it popular, and 
it may, in time, win first place in the hearts of the 
people. 




DAVID LIPSCOMB, JR. 

Superintendent. 



CHAPTER IX. 



The Story of Redemption. 

The following letter, written by Mrs. Fanning 
to a friend who was seeking the light of truth, con- 
tains much that will prove helpful to those who 
wish to study the Bible : 

" Dear Friend : 

" You say you are perplexed by the contra- 
dictory teaching of the various religious denom- 
inations, and you wish to study the Bible, to 
learn from it, if possible, God's plan of salvation. 
This is a matter of the greatest importance to every 
human being. The question you should ask is not, 
'What does my father believe?' or, 'What is my 
mother's faith?' but, 'What is the will of the God 
of heaven? ' He has not left us in doubt concerning 
his will, and the way of salvation is so plain and 
simple that all who so desire can walk therein. 
Any one who earnestly desires to learn the will 
of God should study the Bible with this thought 
in mind : ' God speaks to mc here. I will listen 
with humility, and do what he commands.' I trust 
you will, in that spirit, begin at once a careful study 
of the Scriptures. It may be helpful to you to have 
a general outline of the design and purpose of the 
various books of the Bible, that you may be able 
to rightly divide the word of God. 

" Beginning at the beginning — the first chapter 
of Genesis — you will find that the Old Testament 



110 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

recounts the creation of man and his fall into sin, 
through disobedience ; the destruction of the world 
by the flood, from which destruction Noah and his 
family were saved because of their obedience to 
God. You will learn of God's dealings with Abra- 
ham and his descendants, the children of Israel, 
throughout many generations — how he rewarded 
them for obedience and brought upon them ca- 
lamity and distress when they turned aside from 
his law. You may learn patience from the story of 
Job, reverence for God from the beautiful psalms 
of David, and wisdom from the thoughts penned by 
Solomon. You will read in the prophetic books 
that follow these many allusions to a promised and 
looked-for Messiah, a Prince of Peace, in whom 
not only the descendants of Abraham, but all na- 
tions of the earth, should be blessed. 

" Those books of history and prophecy, prose and 
poetry, contain, however, no commands addressed 
to Gentiles, no mention of Christ, no law of induc- 
tion into his kingdom. We may conclude, there- 
fore, that, however interesting the Old Testament 
may be to us, and however valuable are the lessons 
we learn therein, it is to the New Testament we 
must look for our instruction and guidance into the 
way of life. 

" The New Testament opens with the birth of 
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Immanuel proph- 
esied of old, the Savior of the world. His gen- 
ealogy is traced back to the beginning of time, and 
all promises and prophecies concerning the birth of 
the looked-for Messiah were literally fulfilled in his 
birth. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record, by 
inspiration, many of the incidents of his life. He 
was ' a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.' 



The Story of Redemption. Ill 

He endured toil and privation and suffering. With 
his chosen followers he * went about doing good ' 
and preaching a new law of love and self-sacrifice. 
He healed the sick, the blind, the lame, the deaf, 
and raised the dead. He was hated and persecuted 
and abused, and finally his enemies procured his 
death. He bore a cross up Calvary's rugged side, 
was nailed to it, and, amid the jeers of his enemies, 
the cross was raised upright, and the Savior of 
the world hung between heaven and earth, the 
blood streaming from his pierced hands and feet 
and side. He endured agony that forced from him 
the bitter cry, ' My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me?' until at last he meekly said, 'It is 
finished,' and yielded himself to death. 

" In those gospel records we read of his burial, 
his resurrection from the grave on the third day, 
and his ascension into heaven. Before his ascen- 
sion, however, he walked and talked with his chosen 
apostles about forty days, proving by many infalli- 
ble signs the truth of his resurrection, and gave 
them the command, or commission : ' Go, . . . 
teach all nations/ 

" The first four books of the New Testament close 
with the giving of that commission and the ascen- 
sion of the risen Lord to the mansions of glory. 
Those books were written, under divine inspira- 
tion, to produce faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of 
God. ' Many other signs truly did Jesus t in the 
presence of his disciples, which are not written in 
this book : but these are written, that ye might be- 
lieve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and 
that believing ye might have life through his name.' 
(John 20: 30, 31.) Hfs life was a great object les- 
son of love and service and self-sacrifice — a pat- 



112 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

tern for those who should follow him. By his 
death on the cross he made atonement for the sins 
of the whole world, ' for without the shedding of 
blood there can be no remission.' His resurrection 
from the grave brought to humanity the hope — the 
opportunity — of life and immortality beyond the 
tomb. He endured toil, privation and persecution, 
and suffered death, that he might establish a king- 
dom — a church — and gather to himself a people, 
loving, devoted and obedient, who should reign 
with him throughout eternal ages. 

" The next book of the New Testament — Acts of 
Apostles — contains accounts of the preaching of the 
apostles and others under the commission, ' Go, 
. . . teach all nations ; ' and in that book we find 
plain directions to sinners — both Jews and Gen- 
tiles — how to become Christians, followers of 
Christ. 

"Jesus instructed his apostles to tarry in Jeru- 
salem, after his ascension, till they should receive 
' power from on high.' They did so, with other 
disciples, and on the day of Pentecost — fifty days 
after the ascension of Christ — they received the 
promised power, the Holy Spirit ; and Peter, stand- 
ing up with the eleven, preached, to the multitude 
assembled to hear them, the gospel of Christ in its 
fullness. He convinced many of his hearers that 
Jesus is the Son of God — convinced them that they 
had murdered God's Son. They were filled with 
consternation, and said to the apostles: ' Men and 
brethren, what shall we do ? ' Peter, filled with the 
Holy Spirit, answered : ' Repent, and be baptized 
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for 
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift 
of the Holv Ghost.' About three thousand that day 



The Story of Redemption. 113 

accepted the gospel and were baptized, rejoicing, 
no doubt, that the terms of pardon were so simple 
and easily understood. 

" They are plain and simple, easily understood 
and obeyed : faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of 
God, repentance of sins, and baptism into the name 
of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 
By accepting and obeying those terms w r e are made 
■ new creatures in Christ Jesus.' Faith — belief in 
Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God — produces a 
change of heart. We love him who gave his life 
for us. That love leads us to repent of all our 
sins — to resolve to turn away from sin — and that 
repentance produces a change of life. Baptism 
then changes our state. God promises to wash 
away, in that act of obedience, all our sins — to par- 
don all our sins that are past. Baptism is the line 
that divides the church from the world. We enter 
the kingdom of Christ by being buried with him 
by baptism and rising to walk in newness of life. 
We accept him as our Leader, Brother, Friend ; 
our Prophet, Priest, King. 

" On that day of Pentecost the church of Christ 
was established in its completeness. The law by 
which all may become members of that church was 
that day given ; and, dear friend, when God gives 
a law, shall men dare say, ' This part is essential,' 
or, * That is nonessential? ' No other law has since 
been promulgated ; and when believers now ask, 
' What must we do to be saved?' shall we dare to 
return any other answer than that made by Peter 
in his first gospel sermon : ' Repent, and be bap- 
tized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 
for the remission of sins?' 

" Those who, that day, gladly received and 



114 The Life WorJc of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

obeyed the truth ' continued steadfastly in the apos- 
tles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of 
bread, and in prayers.' The gospel was extended 
to the Gentiles and was preached in ' all the world.' 
Many conversions are recorded in the Acts of Apos- 
tles, and in each case the same terms of pardon are 
expressed or implied : faith, repentance and baptism. 

" The twenty-one books that follow Acts of Apos- 
tles are letters to Christians, written by men who 
were inspired by the Holy Spirit. They contain 
' the apostles' doctrine,' and should be studied ear- 
nestly and carefully — studied daily — by those who 
would know God's will to do it. The last book of 
the New Testament — Revelation — contains visions 
of the future, seen by John, ' the disciple whom 
Jesus loved/ in his exile on the isle of Patmos. It 
portrays the history of the church until the end of 
time. Much of it is figurative and not clearly un- 
derstood, but it contains many beautiful lessons of 
admonition and comfort, pointing us ever to ' a city 
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker 
is God.' 

" This brief outline may assist you in your search 
for the truth. If you will carefully and earnestly 
read the Bible, without prejudice or prepossession, 
you cannot fail to learn the way of life. I pray 
that you may hasten to find it and walk in it." 

The following allegory is founded, no doubt, on 
Isa. 35: 8: "And a highway shall be there, and a 
way, and it shall be called The way of holiness : " 

"All mankind — the many millions of earth — are 
traveling to a country of which we have often 
heard, but which no mortal has ever seen. None 
who have reached that land have returned to tell 



The Story of Redemption. 115 

us of it. All must make the journey, whether they 
will or not ; and they travel on, day and night, with- 
out ceasing. A King who dwells in a fair city in 
that far-off country has marked out a path which 
he wishes all to follow. He promises to those who 
faithfully follow his directions an entrance into that 
city, and peace and joy and happiness therein. The 
path is straight and narrow, but very plain, and all 
who wish to do so can understand the way. It is 
carefully pointed out in a Book of directions, and 
that Book instructs travelers how they should 
live — how they should eat, drink and deport them- 
selves in every respect — so as to please the King. 

" To make the way plain and enable us to walk 
therein, the King sent his Son to earth, almost two 
thousand years ago. He journeyed along the road, 
even to the end, and marked out a path that leads 
to his Father's home. The welcome we shall re- 
ceive in the King's country depends upon our obe- 
dience to his commands as we journey on. Those 
who wish to hear him say, ' Well done,' and receive 
entrance into the city, carefully study the Book of 
directions and walk as it directs. If they do the 
commands of the King, he promises that they shall 
make the journey in peace and be admitted into 
the city. 

" Not all of earth's inhabitants are traveling on 
the King's highway. Many travel a broad and 
beaten way that will never lead them to the city 
of the King. Some walk that broad road because 
they do not believe in the King, his Son or the book 
of directions given by them. Others object to the 
'directions given in the King's book, and refuse to 
follow them. Many believe that if they follow 
paths they believe to be right, the King will at last 



116 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

admit them into his city. Others fail to obey the 
plain directions of the Guidebook, but pray along 
the journey that the King will himself point out 
to them the way. 

" Many are not satisfied with the road marked out 
in. the Guidebook, and try to make paths for them- 
selves. Hence there are roads leading in all direc- 
tions and many walking therein, believing that all 
roads will lead to the King's city. Others, who 
have great reverence for the King, believe the road 
he has laid out to be the only safe road. ' Where 
the word of the King is, there is power ; ' and no 
way is safe except his highway. 

"All the roads lead to a deep river, over which 
each traveler must pass. It lies in a dark valley, 
and is fearful to all. It was terrible to the King's 
Son, but he passed through its cold waves and 
went to prepare, on the other side, many mansions 
for his friends. .As they cross the deep, dark river, 
he sustains them, and they sometimes exclaim : 
' Though I walk through the valley and shadow of 
death — though I pass through deep waters — I will 
fear no evil/ Within the city they rejoice forever- 
more, saying : ' Blessing and glory and wisdom and 
thanksgiving and honor unto our King forever and 
ever.' " 

I have found, in Mrs. Fanning's writings, noth- 
ing more beautiful than the following — " The New 
Song:" 

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art 
worthy to take the book, and open the seals thereof : 
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God 
by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
people, and nation; and hast made us to our God 



The Story of Redemption. 117 

kings and priests : and we shall reign on the earth.' 
This song — the song of redemption — was new in 
heaven. The grandeur of creation had not only 
caused the morning stars to sing together, but all 
the sons of God to shout for joy. They sang praises 
to his justice, to the wonders of his providence, to 
his wisdom and benevolence. The seraphim adored 
him in song : ' Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts ; 
the earth is full of thy glory.' 

" Calvary — redemption through the blood of 
Christ — awoke anthems different from these, awoke 
a song entirely new — one of higher majesty, of 
equal sublimity, of greater sweetness to poor lost 
sons and daughters of men, because redeeming love 
that called it forth displays the excellence of Him 
who redeemed man. When there was no eye to 
pity and no arm to save, Immanuel espoused the 
cause of humanity and shed his blood to save sin- 
ners. The song of redemption celebrates this amaz- 
ing event. It was amazing to all the hosts of 
heaven. Could angels or archangels have imag- 
ined that the Creator and Governor of all the 
worlds would become the Redeemer of guilty man — 
would be crucified for him? 

" The angels did not understand the plan of re- 
demption. After it was completed^ Peter wrote, in 
reference to them : ' They desired to look into these 
things.' They desired to look into them after the 
Savior had taken his seat at the right hand of his 
Father, after the great Sufferer had been made per- 
fect through suffering, and was again enjoying the 
bliss of his heavenly home. Most amazing must 
all have appeared to them. If Gabriel had heard 
whispers of future events, could he have believed 
that God's own Son would assume our nature — 



118 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

that he, as a helpless babe, would weep in the man- 
ger, groan in the garden, hang on the cross? 
Could he have imagined that the solemn scenes of 
Gethsemane and Calvary would transpire — that the 
Son of God would ever complain, in tears and great 
suffering, that his Father had forsaken him? We 
might well suppose that the heavenly beings would 
be more amazed than those of earth, because more 
able to comprehend love so great — love till then 
unheard of. 

" On his return to his Father's home, is it won- 
derful that a new song should be heard throughout 
its many mansions — that it should burst forth in 
strains triumphant and glorious? 'Worthy is the 
Lamb that was slain to receive glory and blessing! ' 
The multiplied thousands who sang did not forget 
the life of Christ, the perfect model of the beauty 
of holiness ; but it was his death, not his life — his 
blood, not his obedience — that kindled their adoring 
wonder and called forth hosannas of gratitude. It 
was when a door was opened in heaven that John 
heard the heavenly hosts singing the new song, 
and afterwards he heard ' every being on earth, 
and under the earth/ singing its grand melody. It 
is not confined to heaven, but is to cover the earth 
as waters cover the sea. 

" Great must have been the interest in heaven 
when the song of redemption was raised upon the 
earth and charmed listening millions with its sweet 
notes. To sing it then often meant suffering and 
death. Even before John passed away from earth, 
martyrs had sung that new song in prison and in 
flames, at the stake and on the rack. ' Slain for us,' 
swelled the chorus of thousands who were conquer- 
ors by the blood of the Lamb. 



The Story of Redemption. 119 

" Everywhere on earth the song was new, even 
in Jerusalem — Jerusalem wept over by the Savior, 
whose children he would have gathered together, 
' as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,' 
but they would not. The prophets had uttered, in 
dark saying's, some notes of the new song which 
prefigured the cross of Calvary ; but ' Wonder, O 
heavens ! and hear, O earth ! ' the Lord's last com- 
mand to his chosen apostles was to begin at Jeru- 
salem the first notes of the new song — to teach 
those who had slain him to sing: 'Slain for us.' 
Many quitted the feet of Gamaliel, the chair of 
Moses, the temples of idols, the tables of devils, the 
altars of war, to glory only in the cross. None of 
that wicked group was forbidden to join, with an- 
gels and the spirits of just men made perfect, in 
the notes of the new song. 

" Diana of the Ephesians was worshiped ' in all 
Asia ' and ' in all the world ' as victorious Rome 
extended her conquest throughout the earth. Be- 
fore that time the" heavenly bodies were the chief 
objects of worship. No holy song, except the songs 
of captive Jews, had ever been heard in Asia till 
the apostles of the Lord Jesus introduced the new 
song. The glad tidings of salvation soon spread 
abroad, and in her seven chief cities thousands took 
up the chorus of the new song. The harps of Di- 
ana were broken upon her altars and her shrines 
thrown down, and the song of redemption silenced 
the shouts of her worshipers. 

" The song was new in all the Eastern cities. 
In Corinth, Antioch and Cyprus the song of the 
drunkard, the dance of the licentious went on in 
moonlight and sunlight, in myrtle shades and on 
vine-clad hills, without shame or secrecy. But 



120 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

even there the song of the Lamb of God silenced 
the odes of Anacreon and the orgies of Cybele. 
Many who had joined in the songs of idolatry 
learned the new song, and over them Paul rejoiced: 
' Such were some of ye ; but ye are washed, ye are 
sanctified, ye are justified.' 

"At Athens thirty thousand gods divided the 
harps and hearts of men. The songs of Hesiod and 
Homer were sacred to deified men; or gods worse 
than men. Plato, the wisest man of his day, said : 
'It is difficult to find the Creator, and impossible 
to teach him to the multitude.' Paul went to Ath- 
ens and raised, in that idolatrous city, the notes of 
the new song. It was caught up by Dionysius, 
Damaris and others, and erelong converted philos- 
ophers declared : ' Every Christian has found God 
and can show him to the people.' The preaching of 
the cross put down tlie wisdom of the world, and 
the new song silenced the orchestra of heathendom. 

" In Rome the anthem of redemption was new, 
especially in ' Caesar's household.' There nothing 
better was heard than the licentious songs of Ovid 
or Horace, the praises of Mars or Jupiter. The 
seven hills of Rome rang with the worship of idols. 
The altars of Jupiter blazed with holocausts and hec- 
atombs. But the new song was raised there, and 
even before Paul visited Rome its notes were sound- 
ing full and clear throughout the Imperial City. Su- 
perstition struck all her harps, emblazoned all her 
shrines, to put down that song, but it could be si- 
lenced by neither force nor stratagem. Paul sang 
it in prison and in his ' hired house ' for two years, 
' to all who came to him.' Soon it spread from the 
prison to the palace, from the ' hired house ' to the 
haughtiest temples of Rome. Christ reigned and 



The Story of Redemption. 121 

triumphed gloriously. His doves were more pow- 
erful than Caesar's eag"les ; his cross, more tri- 
umphant than their banners. The blood of the 
Lamb became the song of the army and the people. 
It swelled and swept on from rank to rank, until 
from the humming of a bee it became like the sound 
of many waters. 

"A sense of unworthiness sometimes prevents 
sinners from joining in the new song — coming to 
Christ — but many to whom redeeming grace was 
first offered were among the vilest of the vile, un- 
til they came to the fountain that was opened for 
sin and uncleanness and washed away their pollu- 
tion. Was it not to give hope to the world that 
so many of the wicked were called at the beginning? 
Paul wrote the early history of the Romans in the 
first chapter of his Epistle to them. It is shock- 
ing, but redeeming love was not disgusted when 
those vicious Romans applied to the fountain 
opened for sin and uncleanness. All were wel- 
comed to take freely of its healing waters. The 
lip breathes not, the heart beats not, the sinner lives 
not, who is not as welcome to sing the new song 
as any angel or spirit around the throne of heaven." 

The Wondrous Call. 

Hadst thou no burdens of thine own, Lord Jesus, 

And wast thou ne'er by care and grief "oppressed, 
That thou dost cry to all earth's weary millions: 
" Come unto me, and I will give you rest? " 

Ah, never was a heart so heavy laden, 

And never was there such a cross as thine! 

No mortal e'er hath known so deep affliction, 

For thou hast borne the whole world's woes and mine! 



122 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

A threefold burden weighed thee down, Lord Jesus; 

A triple crown of sorrow thou didst wear: 
God's anger for thy people's foul transgressions, 

Hell's hate and mortal malice thou didst bear. 

Oh, blessed Jesus, all this sorrow bearing, 

Acquainted so with pang and bitter grief, 
To thee, thus learning fully how to pity, 

We come to find a sure, a sweet, relief! 

And not alone bring we our dark transgressions. 
But all life's load of care and all our woe; 

It is thy very sorrows, Lord, that bid us. 
Hadst thou not wept, our woes how couldst thou know? 

Thy tears forever tell us thou wert human; 

Thy griefs, that thou our keenest griefs canst feel; 
And so we bring to thee our pain and anguish, 

For thou dost know our hurt, and thou canst heal. 

Thus finding rest for our own hearts so weary, 

Would we, to those about us still oppressed, 
Echo thy winning, wondrous words of mercy: 
" Come unto me, and I will give you rest." 



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CHAPTER X. 



The Highway of Holiness. 

Mrs. Fanning wrote frequently and earnestly of 
the importance of living the Christian life — of 
walking in " the highway of holiness " — and from 
her writings on that subject I have culled the fol- 
lowing: 

" The work of becoming pure in thought and 
word and deed requires constant study, constant 
self-control. The apostle Peter instructs us how 
to engage in this work and how to carry it on daily, 
so that the frail children of earth may be pleasing 
to the Father in heaven. To Christians — those 
who had obtained faith ' through the righteous- 
ness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ ' — he 
wrote : 'And beside this, giving all diligence, add 
to your faith virtue ; and to virtue knowledge ; and 
to knowledge temperance ; and to temperance pa- 
tience ; and to patience godliness ; and to godliness 
brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kindness char- 
ity.' (2 Pet. 1 : 5-7.) 

" Directions more appropriate — tending more to 
the formation of Christian character — could not be 
given. To firm belief in God and in his Son, Je- 
sus Christ, as our Savior, Redeemer and Elder 
Brother, we must add virtue. Webster defines 
' virtue ' as meaning ' courage,' ' moral excellence.' 
Hence, by ' virtue ' is meant a courage that enables 
us to be true to our convictions of right — integrity 
so strict as to gain the confidence of those who 



126 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

observe lives influenced by it. That virtue must 
be guided by knowledge — knowledge of the pure 
system of religion given by the Son of God — knowl- 
edge that can be gained only by study of the word 
of God. That knowledge naturally leads to temper- 
ance, or moderation,- in all things — in eating, drink- 
ing, dressing, talking — to self-control and self- 
denial in the whole conduct of life. 

" To form Christian character we must add to 
temperance patience — must strive to possess that 
meek and quiet spirit that bears serenely the trials 
and disappointments of life. After patience comes 
godliness — a hallowed state, a full consecration of 
the life to heaven and heaven's uses. To godliness 
succeeds brotherly kindness — the spirit of compas- 
sion that leads Christians to treat all mankind with 
the consideration that children of the same family 
should show to one another. When we can do this, 
it is not hard to exercise toward all the world that 
charity — love — that crowns the Christian character. 

" ' Holiness is the only means by which holiness 
can be diffused. He who fails to be holy cannot 
persuade others to be so. The wise man imparts 
wisdom ; the good man, goodness ; and he who 
loves holiness and makes it the aim of life can im- 
part it to others.' The holiness of Christians is a 
means appointed for the conversion of the world. 
It is most prominent in the teaching of our Sav- 
ior, and stands out in solemn grandeur in his last 
prayer for his disciples : ' Sanctify them through 
thy truth ; thy word is truth.' It shines like golden 
threads throughout the whole teaching of the word 
of God. Holiness is the white robe of the church— 
the bridal dress of the Lamb's wife," 



The Higluuay of Holiness. 127 

Concerning the character and work of Christian 
women she wrote : 

" There has recently been much discussion con- 
cerning woman's work in the church. Many good 
things have been said and written on that subject, 
but nothing of such weight and power as the word 
penned by inspiration. To its pages, then, we turn, 
believing that its precepts were written for all time 
and all peoples, and that its principles apply to us, 
as well as to the women of an earlier day. 

" When the religion of Christ was new upon the 
earth, and was the principal business of its pro- 
fessors — as it should be to-day; when it engaged 
the noblest thoughts of men and women and called 
forth their most earnest efforts for its advance- 
ment — as it should do to-day — then did the charac- 
ter of Christian women shine forth in unexcelled 
splendor. If we study those characters as delin- 
eated in God's word, we can learn the principles 
by which they were governed, can judge of the 
work by which they were developed, and, having 
both precept and example to guide us, can form 
like characters and walk in the ways of those 
women whose lives met the approbation of God. 

" Those women of the New Testament were 
praying women. During the week just preceding 
the establishment of Christ's kingdom they con- 
tinued, with other disciples of the Lord, ' in 
prayer and supplication.' After the kingdom — the 
church — was established, they held prayer meet- 
ings in their homes. In the house of Mary, the 
mother of John Mark, many were gathered together 
praying, when Peter knocked at the door, after his 
miraculous deliverance from prison. 

<e They were full of good works and almsdeeds. 



128 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Dorcas made coats and other garments for the poor 
and afflicted. Lydia hospitably cared for the 
weary, persecuted preachers of the gospel, and min- 
istered to their comfort when all others forsook 
them. Many were humble workers with the apos- 
tles. Paul mentions Priscilla, and her husband, as 
his ' helpers in Christ,' who would, for his sake, 
have laid down their lives, and to whom not he 
only, but also all the churches of the Gentiles, gave 
thanks. What an honor to be so mentioned ! That 
same Priscilla, with her husband, Aquila, when they 
found Apollos preaching an imperfect gospel, ' ex- 
pounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.' 

" Paul mentions others — Mary and Julia, Try- 
phena and Tryphosa, of the church at Rome ; Syn- 
tyche, Euodias and others at Philippi — as having 
labored much in the Lord. He commends Phebe, 
of Cenchrea, to the church at Rome, asks them to 
receive her kindly and assist her in her mission, 
because she had helped many — himself as well as 
others. 

" Those women of the church in its early days 
did not have for their guidance the sacred Scrip- 
tures complete, as we now have ; but they listened 
with reverence to the teaching of Paul, Peter and 
others, who ' spake as the Spirit gave them utter- 
ance.' They followed those divine admonitions, of 
course. Otherwise, they had not received the ap- 
probation of God or the commendation of Paul, 
that fearless reprover of the unfaithful. 

" What admonitions were given them ? They 
were admonished, as were — and are — all other 
Christians, to put away their former conversation, 
which was corrupt, and become renewed in the 
spirit of their minds, according to the direction of 



The Highway of Holiness. 129 

the Spirit. They were urged to subdue all bitter- 
ness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice, to 
put away all deceit of word or action. They were 
advised to be tender-hearted, forgiving, pitiful and 
courteous, to be sincere, that they might be with- 
out offense in the day of Christ. They heeded 
those admonitions. I cannot imagine Priscilla as 
a woman who talked unkindly of her neighbors, 
indulged in fits of ill temper, or neglected the sick 
and suffering. 

" They were admonished to study how women 
professing godliness should appear ; to adorn them- 
selves with modest apparel, not with ' gold or pearls 
or costly array,' or by plaiting of the hair or the 
putting on of apparel. I cannot think of Lydia — 
though she was a seller of purple — as a woman 
fashionably attired, with her skirts pinned back so 
tight as to be indecent, or so narrow that she could 
not, without great difficulty, climb a fence in her 
travels. 

" The older women were admonished to teach 
the younger women to love their husbands and 
their children — ' to be discreet, chaste, keepers at 
home, good, obedient to their own husbands.' A 
congregation of Christians met for worship in Pris- 
cilla's house at Ephesus ; but I cannot think that 
she was ever president of any society in the church, 
or that Lydia ever presided, as a dignified officer, 
over such a body. 

" Did not such characters as those women formed 
enable them to do all the work required of them 
in the church? Would there now be vexed ques- 
tions as to woman's work in the church if Chris- 
tian women endeavored to form characters by the 
models given in God's word? Beautiful as pearls 



130 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

on threads of gold are the words and ways of the 
intelligent Christian woman whose life and charac- 
ter are molded by love of the Savior. She never 
wounds his cause, never compromises the dignity 
of his religion. She would as willingly have placed 
the crown of thorns that pierced his brow as she 
would bring, by word or action, reproach on his 
name. Earth's sorrows may cast their shadows 
along her way, but she walks, with cheerfulness 
and resignation, the quiet path of duty, believing 
that it leads, through shade and sunshine, into rest." 

From many good things on the subject of Chris- 
tian living, I have selected, to close this chapter, 
the three brief articles that follow : 

" ' Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep 
the door of my lips,' should be our daily prayer ; 
and since out of the heart come ' the issues of life/ 
we should look into our hearts and carefully guard 
them from wrong. Does anger spring up there? 
We should root it out and cultivate the spirit of 
love in its stead. The memory of our own sins 
should make us tender and forgiving to those who 
sin against us. Do we think of ourselves more 
highly than we ought to think? Let us remember 
the humility of our Savior, and bow down before 
him in sincere penitence. Does pride or envy gov- 
ern our actions? Let us put on love, which is ' the 
bond of perfectness.' Have we respect to persons? 
Do we show more consideration to the rich than to 
the poor? We should remember that God has 
chosen the poor to be heirs of his kingdom ; that 
he loves the friendless, calls them to take his yoke 
and learn of him. 

( ' '- The Ancient of days noteth in his book the. 



The Highway of Holiness. 131 

converse of his creature, man ; and there is no 
swerving from the right, in word or deed, thai may 
not lead eternally astray.' Let us set a watch on 
our lips and hearts, that our names may not be 
blotted out of the book of life in that great day for 
which all other days were made." 



" Devotion to God and love of worldly amuse- 
ments do not often exist together in the same heart. 
If Christians love the world and its pleasures, they 
have, at least, lost their first love — their first anx- 
ious care to be like their Master. It does not seem 
meet to attend, during the week, theaters, ball- 
rooms and other places of popular amusement, ar- 
rayed in the fashionable paraphernalia of the day, 
and then, on the Lord's day, assemble with hum- 
ble followers of our Lord to partake of the bread 
and wine that commemorate his suffering and 
death. Can a Christian who engages in dancing 
commend to a dying friend the religion she pro- 
fesses? If not, she should abandon dancing. 

" Christians sometimes engage in worldly amuse- 
ments because they dislike to be different from the 
worldly friends with whom they associate. Allow 
me to suggest that there must be a difference be- 
tween saints and sinners- — between the church and 
the world. The world travels a road that is, at 
the outset, broad and smooth ; but it becomes a 
rugged and difficult way that offers no rest to the 
weary traveler and only a gloomy grave at the end. 
Christians must walk, thoughtfully and prayerfully, 
in the strait and narrow path that leads onward 
and upward and ends in the realm of eternal day." 



132 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

" Love of fashionable display is a canker that 
eats out the heart piety that should characterize the 
people of God. It operates, as much as any other 
one thing, perhaps, to prevent the widespread in- 
fluence the religion of Christ might otherwise have. 
Women are exhorted to adorn themselves in mod- 
est apparel, but many who profess the name of 
Christ appear in attire as costly and elegant as 
those who make no profession of piety. The flash 
of jewels, the sheen of silk, the gleam of gold and 
pearls are loved by many who claim to be follow- 
ers of Him who laid aside the beauty and glory of 
heaven, to open for them a way from earth to 
that brighter, better home. 

" It is pleasant to dress elegantly, to have richly 
furnished, beautiful homes. The love of those 
things seems to spring up in the heart as naturally 
as flowers bloom out in the fresh air and sunshine 
of spring. When that love is cultivated and en- 
couraged, however, we spend in its gratification 
time and money that should be devoted to things 
more important. Those who devote their atten- 
tion principally to fashionable dress, fashionable 
furniture, houses, and equipages, have little time, 
sympathy or money to expend upon the needs of 
others. Neatness and order should everywhere pre- 
vail, but the latest fashionable fad is of small im- 
portance when compared with true piety of heart. 

" The world will be better when Christians are 
more like Christ," 



The Highway of Holiness. 133 

The Church and the World. 

The Church and the World walked far apart 

On the changing shores of time. 
The World was singing a giddy song, 

And the Church a hymn sublime. 
" Come, give me your hand," said the merry World, 
"And walk with me this way." 
But the good Church hid her snowy hands, 

And solemnly answered: "Nay, 
I will not give you my hand at all, 

And I will not walk with you. 
Your way is the way that leads to death, 

Your words are all untrue!" 

" Nay, walk with me but a little space," 

Said the World, with a kindly air. 
" The road I walk is a pleasant road, 

And the sun shines always there. 
Your path is thorny and rough and rude, 

But mine is broad and plain. 
My way is paved with flowers and dews, 

And yours with tears and pain. 
The sky to me is always blue; 

No want, no toil I know. 
The sky over you is always dark; 

Your lot is a lot of woe. 
Come, leave the path that is narrow and steep 

For mine, so smooth and wide; 
There's room enough for you and me 

To travel side by side." 

Half shyly the Church approached the World 

And gave him her hand of snow; 
And the gay World grasped it and walked along, 

Saying in accents low: 
"Your dress is too simple to please my taste; 

I will give you pearls to w r ear, 
Rich velvets and silks for your graceful form, 

And diamonds to deck your hair." 
The Church looked down at her plain white robes, 

And then at the dazzling World, 
And blushed as she saw his handsome lip 

With a smile contemptuous curled. 



134 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

" I will change my dress for a costlier one/' 

Said the Church, with a smile of grace. 
Then her pure white garments drifted away, 

And the World gave, in their place, 
Beautiful satins and shining silks, 

Rich gems and costly pearls; 
And over her forehead her bright hair fell, 

Crisped in a thousand curls. 

" Your house is too plain," said the proud old World; 
" I'll build you one like mine; 
Carpets of Brussels and curtains of lace, 

And furniture ever so fine." 
So he built her a costly and beautiful house; 

Most splendid it was to behold. 
Her sons and her beautiful daughters dwelt there, 

Gleaming in purple and gold. 
Rich fairs and shows in her halls were held, 

And the World and his children were there. 
Laughter and music and mirth were heard 

In the place that was meant for prayer. 
There were cushioned pews for the rich and gay 

To sit in their pomp and pride; 
But the poor, who were clad in shabby attire, 

Sat meekly down outside. 

" You give too much to the poor," said the World, 
" Far more than you ought to do. 
If they are in need of shelter and food, 

Why should it trouble you? 
Go, take your money and buy rich robes, 

Buy horses and carriages fine; 
Buy pearls and jewels and dainty food, 

Buy the rarest and costliest wine. 
My children dote on all those things; 

And if you their love would win, 
You must do as they do, and walk in the path 

That they are walking in." 

Then the Church held fast the strings of her purse, 

And modestly lowered her head, 
And whispered: " No doubt you are right, dear friend. 

Henceforth I will do as you've said." 



The High way of Holiness. 135 

So the poor were turned from her door in scorn; 

She heard not the orphan's cry, 
And she drew her beautiful robes aside 

As the widows went weeping by. 
The sons of the World and the sons of the Church 

Walked closely hand and heart, 
And only the Master, who knoweth all, 

Could tell the two apart. 

The Church sat down at her ease, and said: 
" I am rich, and my goods increase; 
I have need of nothing, and naught to do 

But to laugh and dance and feast." 
The si}- World heard, and he laughed in his sleeve, 
And mocking said, aside: 
"The Church is fallen — the beautiful Church! 
And her shame is her boast and her pride." 

An angel drew near to the mere}- seat, 

And whispered in sighs her name. 
The glorious anthems of rapture were hushed. 

And heads were covered with shame. 
And a voice was heard at last by the Church. 

From Him that sat on the throne: 
'' I know thy works, and how thou hast said. 
' I am rich,' and hast not known 
That thou art naked and poor and blind 

And wretched before my face: 
Therefore from my presence I cast thee out. 

And blot thy name from its place." 



CHAPTER XI. 



Prayer. 

Mrs. Fanning was, by nature and habit, devo- 
tional. She thought deeply, and wrote much, in 
regard to prayer, and from her writings on that 
subject I have culled the following: 

" Under the Jewish law, only the high priest had 
access to the holy of holies and held communion 
with God from between the cherubim that shad- 
owed the mercy seat. He could say, as he entered 
the holy place, bearing incense and the blood of 
sacrifice : ' I will hear what the Lord shall speak, 
for he will speak peace to his people.' The ark of 
the covenant was magnificent ; the golden mercy 
seat, sublime ; the cherubim that hovered above it 
were full of majesty, and the cloud of glory crown- 
ing it must have filled the soul of the worshiper 
with awe, with greatest reverence. 

" The glories of the temple were, however, only 
' shadows of good things to come.' Those ' good 
things ' themselves we have in communion with 
our Father. In Christ Jesus we have a High 
Priest who is touched with the feeling of our in- 
firmities, because he was tempted as we are. 
Through his name, therefore, we can come boldly 
to the throne of grace, asking for help in time of 
need. 

"All that is pure and tender in our religious 
character depends upon a devotional spirit. With- 
out it, we might maintain a good conscience to- 



138 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

ward our fellow-beings, but not toward God. No 
good principle can grow or retain its strength with- 
out prayer. Notwithstanding this, we often allow 
social pleasures, an interesting book, a visit to a 
friend or some everyday employment to engage 
our time and thoughts longer than an interview 
with the Sovereign of the universe. 

" Faith must be antecedent to prayer. We 
must believe what God has written, that hope 
and peace may arise in our minds from the ex- 
ercise of prayer. When we truly believe God's 
promises, the place of prayer becomes, like the 
house of God, ' the gate of heaven.' No wor- 
shiper prays with pleasure who believes he prays 
in vain. ' He that cometh to God must be- 
lieve God's promises, the place of prayer becomes, 
like the house of God, ' the gate of heaven.' No 
worshiper prays with pleasure who believes he 
prays in vain. ' He that cometh to God must be- 
lieve that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them 
that diligently seek him.' John, writing to Chris- 
tians, wrote : - If we confess our sins, God is faith- 
ful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse 
us from all unrighteousness.' If we believe his 
word, we must believe he pardons our sins when we 
come according to his will. We know whether 
we have humbly confessed our faults ; we know 
whether we have earnestly desired to be cleansed 
from all iniquity, whether we have poured out 
heartfelt petitions for pardon. If our prayer has 
been in accordance with his will, it is as clearly 
our duty to believe the promise as to obey the pre- 
cept." 



Prayer. 139 

On the subject of secret prayer she wrote : 
' When thou prayest, enter into thy closet ; and 
when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father 
who is in secret; and thy Father who is in secret 
shall reward thee openly.' Even before the Savior 
gave this injunction, good men of every age had 
considered their solitary approaches to God as their 
highest privilege. Moses communed with Jehovah 
as his friend. David, in all his sorrows, found a 
sweet refuge in communion with God. Daniel 
risked his life for the privilege of prayer. 

" The Savior was a man of prayer. When he 
needed help to resist temptation or to meet trials, 
he lifted his heart in prayer to his Father. In the 
midst of his work of healing the sick, giving sight 
to the blind and feeding the multitude that followed 
him into the wilderness, he ' went into a mountain 
to pray.' After relieving the distress of suffering 
humanity about him, he sought, in darkness and sol- 
itude, the comfort that he could derive only from 
intercourse with Him who in love and pity heard 
his prayers and supplications. The dews of night 
fell upon him, the damp ground was under his feet, 
the mountain wind signed around the desolate 
place ; but darkness gave place to light of dawn 
before his prayers were ended. He spent the day 
in laboring for the good of man, and closed his la- 
bors by a night of prayer. 

" The Savior's example shows that deeds of char- 
ity and exertion for the sick and afflicted must not 
supersede secret prayer. Diligence in business and 
fervency of spirit should walk side by side. Fa- 
tigue should not cause us to neglect the solemn 
duty of prayer. We are never more fatigued, prob- 
ably, than was our great Exemplar. He had no 



140 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

home, no shelter, no comforts, no pillow for his 
sacred head, no resting place for his feet, and he 
went into mountain solitudes to pray. A cold room 
in winter or a close room in summer often hurries 
our devotions, but on the dreary mountain he 
prayed all night. 

" To keep alive a prayerful spirit, we must have 
a fixed time for the performance of this duty. If 
no time is fixed for secret prayer, it will be neg- 
lected. Leave it to be done ' some time ' — no defi- 
nite, fixed time — and it will seldom be done. Most 
Christians have felt the guilt and unhappiness aris- 
ing from irregularity and coldness- in private prayer. 
They have found themselves more inclined to do 
wrong — more inclined to forget Him who ' offered 
up prayers and supplications with strong crying 
and tears.' We should have a fixed time for this 
duty and privilege, and nothing trivial should cause 
us to neglect that period of communion with our 
Heavenly Father. Besides, if we seize, amid the 
busy scenes of life or in hours of darkness, when 
sleep deserts our pillow, spare moments to lift our 
hearts to God, we will not wander far from his 
presence. When cares press upon us, when sor- 
rows assail us, or when the scenes of life are joy- 
ous, our hearts should ascend to our Father, though 
but for a moment, like birds let loose into the up- 
per air. 

" Christ Jesus had the Spirit without measure ; 
he knew no sin ; yet in loneliness and solitude he 
poured out his soul in prayer. Christians must 
pray or perish.*" 

In regard to " posture in prayer," she wrote as 
follows : 



Prayer. 141 

" Little things affect us much. A wrong posture 
will sometimes produce a wrong spirit. We can- 
not throw ourselves down according to our humor 
or fancy, or lie before God yawning one moment 
and speaking to him the next, and reap any benefit 
from such experience. Humoring the body often 
hampers the mind. A slothful position makes the 
body slothful. Leaning the head on cushion or bed 
sometimes puts the heart to sleep, and burying the 
face for ease often buries thought and feeling. 
These things are neither trifling nor untrue. We 
should not consider as a trifle anything that causes 
us to come thoughtlessly into the presence of the 
Eternal. There may come to us seasons when the 
heart is so full and the soul so engaged that posture 
in prayer is not thought, but we are seldom so ' out 
of the body.' A reverent manner does much toward 
filling the mind with reverent feeling. Let us not 
consider as trivial anything that brings us into our 
Father's presence without the love and reverence 
and fear clue to his goodness, majesty and power." 

In an article entitled " The Influence of Prayer " 
she wrote : 

" W r hat exalted ideas Paul must have had of that 
influence when he wrote: 'Be careful for nothing; 
but in everything by prayer and supplication with 
thanksgiving let your requests be made known 
unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth 
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds 
through Christ Jesus.' (Phil. 4: 6, 7.) 

" In this age of the world — when there are calls 
for the active exercise of every faculty we possess, 
to meet the demands of life — it is difficult, even for 
those who claim to be obedient to the will of God, 



142 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

to obey the injunction: 'Be careful for • nothing/ 
Of course that injunction does not mean that we 
shall cease personal effort, and depend upon prayer 
to God for daily necessities. He who prays when 
he should work has no more promise of blessing 
than he who works and prays not. The lesson that 
Paul — or the Holy Spirit, through Paul — would 
teach is that Christians should not become so ab- 
sorbed in the cares of life as to neglect the privi- 
lege of prayer. When we allow the stress of 
worldly interests to interfere with devotional hab- 
its, we may expect to incur the displeasure of our 
Father. He is not willing to be forgotten by his 
children. If they become estranged from him and 
cease to come to him as to a Father, he sometimes 
brings them to his feet with the rod of chastisement. 

" Not only do the cares of life separate us from 
him, but we sometimes permit the unkindness of 
our fellow-beings to fill our hearts with bitterness, 
even when we are engaged in prayer. This is 
wrong. What good can we accomplish by ponder- 
ing on our crosses? Every time we think of them 
we but increase our suffering and embitter the good 
things with which we are blessed. Such feelings 
can be overcome only by earnest prayer. Notwith- 
standing we have troubles, we still have many bless- 
ings. God has not forsaken us — has not wounded 
us by unkindness. He is always faithful, watch- 
ful, tender. He gives us many blessings for which 
we should express our love and gratitude. The 
hope of eternal life is ours, and any lot outside of 
eternal misery deserves our fervent gratitude. 
When we cast our care upon Him who careth for 
us, the peace of God will keep our minds and hearts. 

" Prayer must be mingled with thanksgiving, if 



Prayer. 143 

we wish grace to help in time of need. Instead of 
pouring out only our sorrows before God and mak- 
ing complaint to him, our hearts should glow with 
grateful love for his tender care. 

In the following article Mrs. Fanning illustrates 
the value of quiet hours for prayer and meditation : 

" Mary Lyons, of Mount Holyoke, Mass., was a 
woman whose influence for good has not often been 
equaled. Her early educational advantages were 
not superior. She entered school at seventeen, and 
paid for her board with linen she herself had spun 
and woven. After making considerable progress 
in her studies, she taught school, and thus was en- 
abled to again enter an institution of learning. She 
continued that course several years, and finally de- 
termined to establish a school on a plan different 
from any with which she was acquainted. She 
traveled in her native State and elsewhere, and ex- 
plained to parents her ideas of the manner in which 
their daughters should be educated. Those ideas 
were generally approved, and she raised sixty thou- 
sand dollars with which to build and equip such 
a house as she thought necessary for the school. 

" The building was soon filled with girls from 
the best families in the land, and ere many months 
had passed it required enlargement. The students 
carried on most of the work of the institution — 
including cooking, washing and ironing. All were 
required to devote part of every day to domestic 
affairs. They became expert and thorough house- 
keepers, and distinguished themselves in various 
lines of work — as missionaries, teachers, business 
women and in all departments of household work. 
Some of the best-educated, most practical women 



144 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

of New England received their training in her 
school. 

" Miss Lyons' lectures were very impressive. 
Her pupils imbibed her earnestness, and learned 
that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well. 
She endeavored to teach them their duty to God, 
their fellow-beings and themselves. One of her 
graduating classes took for a class motto : ' We 
labor here; our rest is in heaven.' 

" There was another peculiarity in her system 
rarer and less considered by teachers of her day. 
She set apart half an hour, morning and evening, 
for quiet and leisure — cessation from all business, 
study and pleasure. It was the duty of each pupil 
to spend the time alone, reading God's word, in 
prayer and serious thought. If one chose to do 
so, she could spend the time idly ; but all knew the 
object of the quiet half hour, and those ambitious 
to form pure, thoughtful characters felt the ad- 
vantage they derived from time so employed, and 
had reason to bless a teacher so thoughtful and 
devoted to their interests. 

" The morning half hour was the time to look 
to the Father in heaven for help to do right dur- 
ing the day — to determine anew to walk before 
him in truth and uprightness, to ask to be kept 
from temptation, delivered from evil. The even- 
ing half hour was no less important. At the dying 
of the day, the sound of a bell gave the signal for 
silence. All was hushed. Every member of that 
large family knew that that time belonged to 
heaven, and the greater number of them bowed 
down to ask an evening blessing, to return thanks 
for the protection of the day, for its comforts and 
pleasures. It was the time to reflect how the hours 



Prayer. 145 

had been employed, what traits of character had 
been cultivated, what improvement made ; the time 
to regret wrong and ask forgiveness. 

" Miss Lyons considered spiritual culture of far 
more importance than physical or mental training. 
The minds and bodies of her pupils received care- 
ful training, and she also taught them ' to raise 
the heart and bend the knee.' Her pupils went out 
from her sheltering roof with the habit of prayer 
impressed upon them — imprinted in their very na- 
tures. They taught it to others who had not re- 
ceived such careful culture, and thus her influence 
extended to many whom she never knew. All who 
left the school knew that at certain half hours in 
the day its pupils, wheresoever they might be scat- 
tered, were praying for each other, for themselves 
and all who needed prayer. It was no light matter 
to realize that, in sickness or health, joy or sor- 
row, life or death, their names would, at that time, 
be wafted to the throne of grace, and all needed 
blessings asked for them. To be the subject of so 
many prayers was an impressive thought. 

" I read, a short time ago, of a family that met, 
at a certain hour every day, for prayer. A young 
member of the family, while away from home, was 
strongly tempted to do wrong, and was on tjie 
point of yielding to the temptation. Just at that 
moment he heard a clock strike the hour for even- 
ing prayer. He knew that all at home were com- 
ing together and reverently bowing down, as usual. 
He knew he would be earnestly recommended, by 
name, to God's holy keeping during his absence. 
He was strengthened to resist the temptation, with 
thankfulness of heart for parents who walked 
prayerfully before God/' 



146 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Prayer of Canon Wilberforce. 

Lord, for to-morrow and its needs 

I do not pray; 
Help me to keep from stain of sin 

Just for to-day. 
Let me both diligently work 

And duly pray; 
Let me be kind in word and deed 

Just for to-day. 
Let me be slow to do my will, 

Prompt to obey; 
Help me to sacrifice myself 

Just for to-day. 
Let me no wrong or idle word 

Unthinking say; 
Set thou thy seal upon my lips 

Just for to-day. 
So for to-morrow and its needs 

I do not pray; 
But keep me, guide me, hold me, Lord, 

Just for to-day. 



CHAPTER XII. 



Doing Good. 

Airs. Fanning constantly endeavored to do good. 
and. hence, was able to do very effective preaching 
along that line. In an article on that subject she 
wrote : 

We sometimes say of a man of certain charac- 
ter: ' He is a good man, but he is not a useful man.' 
Can a man who is of little or no use be really good? 
If he is not useful, what is he good for? If he is 
good for nothing - , in what sense can he be called 
good? Can one be good without going on to the 
perfection of doing good? In an orchard the tree 
most valued is not one that is covered with glossy 
Leaves, but one that bears rich, sweet fruit. A fruit 
tree is valued not for what it is capable of produ- 
cing, but for what it actually brings forth. It is not 
upon those who are capable of good works, but 
upon those who abound in good works, that honor, 
glory and peace shall be at last conferred. 

"Jesus, as he journeyed over the hills and vales 
of Judea, saw a fig tree in the way, and, finding 
nothing thereon but leaves, said to it, ' Let no fruit 
grow on thee henceforward for- ever,' thus putting 
an end to its capability of ever bearing fruit. That 
incident should suggest to us the importance of be- 
ing useful. If any who profess to be God's chil- 
dren live idle lives — do no good in the world — we 
should not marvel if God should deprive them of 
the power and opportunity of doing good. 



150 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

" Every responsible soul has the capacity to do 
good in his day and generation, and his life is of 
value to the world in proportion to the good he 
does. There is good work for all to do, and those 
who have faithfully performed their appointed work 
have in all ages received the approval of God. Jo- 
seph's work was to save God's people, and he ful- 
filled his mission worthily. After their sojourn in 
that country had merged into bondage and slavery, 
Moses was appointed to lead them thence to a land 
of peace and plenty, and not until the hosts of Is- 
rael were ready to cross over into that glorious land 
did Moses' work cease. It was Joshua's appointed 
work to lead them over the river Jordan and take 
the goodly land promised to their fathers. He ful- 
filled his mission and enjoyed the approval of God. 
David served his generation according to the will 
of God. The work of Solomon was to build the 
temple, and he faithfully executed that commission. 

"Jesus, our Savior, had a work to do on earth. 
He finished that work, and, like an obedient, affec- 
tionate child, he thought of his Father and his home. 
He had been an exile from that heavenly home more 
than thirty years. He had, during those years, 
been subject to the weakness of humanity. He was 
often tired and hungry and thirsty; his heart was 
grieved by reproach and pain, though he complained 
not. No doubt he longed for the glorious compan- 
ionship of heaven, and rejoiced to say: 'Now, Fa- 
ther, I come to thee.' His path thither was a path 
of bitter anguish — so bitter that an angel was sent 
from heaven to soothe his agony and strengthen 
him to bear it ; but he patiently trod that path of 
suffering until he cried on the cross, ' It is finished/ 
and his work on earth was ended. 



Doing Good. 151 

" When Esther, the Jewish wife of a Gentile king, 
was asked to intercede for her people, who were 
to be put to death at a certain time, she faltered, 
knowing- that she should risk her own life by going 
to the king with such a petition, and Mordecai, her 
uncle, sent her this stern message : ' Think not with 
thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, 
more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether hold- 
est thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliver- 
ance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou 
and thy father's house will perish : and who knoweth 
whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such 
a time as this? ' She accepted the reproof, and, say- 
ing, ' If I perish, I perish,' made at the proper time 
her petition to the king and saved her people from 
extermination. 

"As Esther was born for the work of her time, so 
is every Christian born to do a work in the world. 
If he is of no use, he does not answer the purpose 
for which he was created. He is not doing the 
work for which God will hold him accountable. 
God's work will be carried on through others — ' re- 
lief and deliverance will arise from another place ' — 
but he who refuses to do his part of that work shall 
receive the condemnation of Heaven. 

" It behooves Christians, therefore, to know and 
to do the work for which they must give ac- 
count. That they may do that work is the reason 
why they were created in this particular age, rather 
than in another age. They have been bought with 
a price, that they may assist in the great work of 
salvation. To do this, they must become, and be, 
pure, and do good in their generation according to 
the will of God. By earnest study of the sacred 
Scriptures we can learn our duty to God, to our 



152 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

fellow-men and to ourselves, and be ' thoroughly 
furnished unto all good works.' " 

She understood and appreciated the far-reaching 
influence of character, and on that subject wrote: 

"A man's character consists of the peculiar qual- 
ities that distinguish him from others, and those 
qualities are impressed upon him by nature or habit. 
A man's habits are called his ways — his footsteps — 
because they leave traces that mark the direction 
of his life, and those traces assist in directing the 
lives of-others. A path through a newly plowed 
field is crooked or straight, according to the foot- 
steps of the first person who passed over it. The 
next who crosses the field takes pains, perhaps, to 
place his feet in the footprints already made through 
it. 

:i This shows the force of example. It is not 
one step that makes the path, not one act that forms 
the character. There must be a series of steps for 
the one, a train of actions for the other; and those 
steps, those actions,- often take their directions from 
very slight influences. The influence exerted by 
the character of others greatly affects us. It is 
said : 'An infant's spirit does not exist a day, an 
hour, without leaving impressions that the joys and 
troubles of life, or even the events of eternity, can 
never blot out.' I have heard a mother refer with 
great tenderness to a babe who* passed away after 
only a few days of life on earth, and express the 
conviction that she became a better woman by hav- 
ing watched over its fragile loveliness for even that 
brief time. 

" Lasting impressions of character are often made 
when we are unconscious of exerting such an in- 



Doing Good. 153 

fluence. We cannot write a letter, exchange greet- 
ings with a friend, speak to a little child in passing, 
without making impressions for good or evil. Chil- 
dren often walk in the footsteps of their parents. 
Instruction and advice in after years may do much, 
but early example will do much more, in molding 
their characters. Not many children will be rough 
and uncultivated if trained by refined and cultivated 
parents. A picture of a beautiful scene presents it 
to the mind more clearly than a description of that 
scene in words, and grace of character or manner is 
more clearly impressed by example than by precept. 
Parents can most effectively train their children to 
walk in the good and right way by daily and hourly 
themselves walking therein. 

" God teaches by example. He gives us, in his 
word, no long dissertations on faith, but presents 
for our consideration faithful Abraham — a man of 
faith so strong that he would, at the bidding of Je- 
hovah, have offered as a sacrifice the son of his old 
age, believing that God could, and would, restore 
to him that child of promise, in all his youth and 
beauty. There are in the Bible no lengthy dis- 
courses on patience, but it contains the history of 
Job, distressed and sorrowful, but patient in his 
misery, exclaiming: 'The Lord gave, and the Lord 
hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord.' 
The Book of books contains no essays on meekness, 
but instead we find pictured there the life of Moses, 
the meekest man on earth. In the New Testament 
are many exhortations to Christians to be pure, gen- 
tle, loving and self-sacrificing; but God first sent his 
Son into the world to show, in his sinless life, the 
beauty of purity, gentleness, love and self-sacrifice. 

" Influences of character are potent and lasting. 



154 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Abel was the first pilgrim who trod the way from 
this world to the world beyond the grave. He 
passed away like the vapor of the morning which 
his name signifies, and dreamed not, during that 
fleeting life, that his path of faith and obedience 
would be trodden by future generations, and that, 
though dead, he should speak throughout all ages 
to a listening world. Little did Abraham imagine 
that thousands and multiplied thousands would 
walk in his footsteps and be animated by his exam- 
ple of faith ; nor did Job realize that his footsteps 
along the path of sorrow would enable many to 
walk patiently through the trials of this world to a 
world where trials are unknown. 

" When we see footsteps pointing to the east, we 
do not suppose that the person who made them was 
moving toward the west. The footsteps men leave 
— the record of their lives — mark the way by which 
they have reached heaven, or the downward road 
that leads to misery eternal. We can trace in the 
Bible the footsteps of Enoch and Elijah, of Cain 
and Judas. There Solomon left the path of obedi- 
ence ; here Paul entered it and pressed forward in 
the Christian race. Just so, if we profess to be 
traveling toward a heavenly home, our footsteps 
should point in that direction. It is said : ' The Bi- 
ble is God's revelation to Christians, and Christians 
are God's revelation to the world.' The world may 
not read the Bible, but it reads the character of 
Christians. Usually even wicked men know 
whether the professed Christians in their commu- 
nity are true and sincere followers of the meek and 
lowly Jesus. The earnest, faithful life of true Chris- 
tians leads the world to value Him whose influence 
produces such characters. One soul imbued with 



Doing Good. 155 

the spirit of Christianity will do more to lead the 
world to Christ than a thousand discourses on holi- 
ness of life." 

In the following article she impresses a valable 
lesson : 

" When Jesus, on the mount of transfiguration, 
encircled with the glory of divinity, talked with 
Moses and Elijah, Peter — who, with James and 
John, witnessed the wonderful scene — said to the 
Lord he loved : ' It is good for us to be here : and 
let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one 
for Moses, and one for Elias.' Warm-hearted, lov- 
ing and impulsive, his desire was to do honor to 
the glorious beings who had met and talked on 
Mount Hermon's lofty height ; but he spoke, ' not 
knowing what he said.' Such structures would 
have been as vain and useless as are many others 
reared without thought or knowledge. Neither the 
great leader and lawgiver of Israel nor the prophet 
who lived at a later day would have again sojourned 
on earth, where they had been oppressed with toil 
and sorrow. Moses, weary of his responsibility as 
leader of the hosts of Israel, prayed to God : ' Kill 
me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor 
in thy sight ; and let me not see my wretchedness.' 
Elijah, distressed by the degeneracy of the people he 
loved and would have taught, cried : ' It is enough ; 
now, O Lord ; take away my life.' Oppressed 
by a sense of disappointment and grieved by the dis- 
obedience and willfulness of the people they sought 
to lead, each wished to leave the earth before the 
purpose of his life had been fulfilled. The most in- 
viting worldly tabernacles could not have tempted 
them to return and take up the burdens of life again. 



156 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

They who had tasted the bitter cup of suffering re- 
turned to earth for only a brief space to talk with 
the Son of God of the suffering he must so soon 
endure. They needed no earthly tabernacles. 

"Jesus needed no tabernacle on the mountain top. 
His work led him down to the lowly plains of earth, 
among the sinful and sorrowful, the sick and dying, 
and that work was soon to be finished on Calvary's 
brow. His tabernacle is in the hearts of his faith- 
ful followers, and shall there abide throughout the 
ages of eternity. 

" We often build tabernacles in our hearts, many 
of which, like those Peter would have built, are 
vain and useless, because they are built to objects 
that are fleeting — that pass away and leave only a 
wreck behind. In this quiet city of the dead, beau- 
tiful with pale shafts, waving foliage and fresh ver- 
dure, the mind reverts naturally to* the tabernacles 
of earth, to their short-lived nature, for whom and 
for what purpose they are built. We desire to build 
tabernacles that shall last beyond the brief span, of 
human life, and, hence, should turn our thoughts 
inward and inquire what tabernacles our hearts are 
building. 

"Are we building a tabernacle for Ambition? He 
covets a wide sphere — from center to circumfer- 
ence ; but he must dwell at last in a narrow cave, 
begirt with cold clay. Do we build for riches ? No 
riches can pass the portals of the tomb, and in the 
grave neither gold nor silver is found, except the 
burnished plate on the lid of the dark coffin. Do 
we build for pleasure — to laughter and music and 
song? In the grave the guests are all silent, and 
the worm is the only reveler. Do we build for Pride, 
arrayed in purple and fine linen ? In the grave is 



Doing Good. 157 

neither costly dress nor beautiful adornment, but 
simply the winding sheet and the fringe of the 
shroud. Do we build for Beauty? In the field of 
graves she loses the charm she has wielded with 
such power. The worm shall fret the smooth skin 
and spoil its beautiful tints. Mute, mute is buried 
loveliness. Mantled in her pall, her praise is heard 
no more. 

'' Do we build tabernacles for earthly love and af- 
fection ? Sweet as are those fond ties, they, too, must 
end in the silent home of the dead. Brothers, sis- 
ters, friends, repose here, side by side, but none have 
saluted ; none have offered words of tenderness and 
devotion. No, the dead awake not to the voice of 
love. Softly they slumber. Neither hope nor fear 
is theirs. " Peace " is the watchword, the only 
watchword in their quiet homes. 

Shall we build a tabernacle for Death? He is the 
conqueror of all earth's countless millions. These 
silent mounds and pale stones are emblems of a 
scepter against which no mortal can lift hand or 
voice. To him the monarchs of earth bow with 
humility like that of slaves. Shall we build a tab- 
ernacle to this mighty monarch? Nay, his reign 
shall cease, his power shall end. A day is coming 
when this mighty conqueror shall himself be con- 
quered, when the scepter which he now sways over 
all the earth shall be laid down — a day when ' there 
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying*, 
neither shall there be any more pain : for the former 
things are passed away.' 

" Not for those transitory things of earth will we 
build. We will rear in our hearts tabernacles of 
beauty that shall last beyond the portals of death — 
tabernacles that time cannot destrov. We will 



158 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

build for Faith — the shining light by which we walk 
steadily and safely on, through storm and sunshine, 
over smooth or rugged paths, toward our Father's 
home. For Hope let us build — Hope, the bright 
beacon of the soul, pointing ever to the green fields 
beyond the dark river of death — the Siloam of the 
soul. For Love we will build — Love, patient, stead- 
fast, long-enduring, whose presence brings cheer 
and comfort to drooping hearts, lightens heavy bur- 
dens and smooths rough paths for weary feet. 
Faith, Hope and Love — these three abide with us, 
and, supported by them, we look beyond the grave 
to the day when He who once said, ' Lazarus, come 
forth ! ' shall waken the sleeping dead ; when the 
dust of the grave shall be transformed into immor- 
talized bodies and become the dwelling place of pu- 
rified and glorified spirits. Then, when our earth 
life shall be ended and we are safe in our Father's 
home, Hope shall give place to fruition and Faith 
shall merge into knowledge ; but Love — the great- 
est of the three — unchanging and eternal, shall abide 
throughout the eternal years of God. 

" We should build in our hearts a tabernacle 
wherein shall dwell Jesus, the Lamb of the great 
sacrifice ; Jesus, of Mary born, by Pilate crucified 
on Calvary. By his sinless life, his cruel death on 
the cross and his glorious resurrection from the 
grave he brought life and salvation to lost and 
ruined man. Messiah, fairer than the sons of men 
and altogether lovely, hath ascended to the presence 
chamber of his Father, clothed with glory and 
honor. He is seated at the right hand of the Maj- 
esty on high, where he ever makes intercession for 
his people. God hath highly exalted him and given 
him a name that is above every name, and to that 



Doing Good. 159 

name all earth shall bow. Ten thousand times ten 
thousand golden harps and seraphic voices shall fill 
the heavens with hallelujahs in his praise, and his 
kingdom shall be from everlasting to everlasting, 
Emanuel, Prince of Peace." 



* , ; ■" ./ 




CHAPTER XIII. 



The Sabbath and the Lord's Day. 

On this subject Mrs. Fanning wrote: 
; ' Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh 
day thou shalt rest : in plowing time and in harvest 
thou shalt rest ' (Ex. 34: 21, R. V.), was one of the 
commands God gave to the children of Israel 
through Moses ; and the Sabbath — the seventh day 
of the week — became to them thenceforth a sacred 
day. The question has been asked : ' Was the Sab- 
bath observed before the giving of the Jewish law? ' 
On this subject there is much difference of opin- 
ion. Those who do not believe it was generally 
observed before that time say, ' God rested on the 
seventh day, after the work of creation was com- 
pleted, but did not command man to rest;' and, 
indeed, there is no mention in Genesis of a Sabbath. 

" In God's covenant with Noah there is no men- 
tion of a day set apart for rest or worship. Many 
of the early writers seem to think the Sabbath was 
not observed during the patriarchal age. Justin 
Martyr says: 'The patriarchs were justified before 
God, not keeping the Sabbath ; ' and ' from Abra- 
ham originated circumcision ; from Moses, the Sab- 
baths.' Irenaeus wrote : 'Abraham, without circum- 
cision and observance of Sabbaths, believed in God.' 
Tertullian says the same. Justin Martyr also says : 
■ The Sabbath was given to the Jews because of 
their lawlessness and hardness of heart.' 

" Others believe the Sabbath has been observed 



162 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

ever since God rested on the seventh day, when the 
work of creation was ended. They find traces of a 
period of seven days which indicates a Sabbath in 
Gen. 4 : 3 ; 7 : 10 ; 8 : 10 ; and in the contract between 
Laban and Jacob the term ' week ' is used (Gen. 29 : 
27, 28). They urge that from the earliest times the 
Egyptians, Arabians and all the nations of the East 
have had a period of seven days, and that this can 
be accounted for only on the supposition that the 
practice was derived from the common ancestors 
of mankind. 

" Be that as it may, we have no record in the 
Scriptures of a positive command for the observance 
of the Sabbath till the law was given to Moses on 
Mount Sinai. One item of that law was : ' Remem- 
ber the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. . . . For 
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the 
sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh 
day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, 
and hallowed it.' (Ex. 20: 8-11.) It was incor- 
porated into the religion of the Jews and made bind- 
ing upon them. The word ' Sabbath ' signifies 
' rest,' and the Jews observed the day as a day of 
absolute rest. They could perform no manner of 
work on that day without incurring the displeasure 
of Jehovah, and the penalty for breaking the Sab- 
bath was death. 

" Christians are not bound by that law, nor are 
they commanded to keep the Sabbath day. The 
Jewish law fulfilled the purpose for which it was 
designed — to train and prepare the world for the 
advent of the Savior of men— and then it passed 
away. Jesus fulfilled it, in every jot and tittle, and 
' took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross/ 
(Col. 2: 14.) When the Jewish law passed away, 



The Sabbath ancl the Lord's Day. 163 

the command to observe the Sabbath day passed 
away also, it being a part of that law. 

Ci Under the new law — the law of Christ — Chris- 
tians came together on the first day of the week to 
commemorate his resurrection from the grave. On 
that day the Redeemer of mankind rose from the 
grave, where he had fought and conquered the pow- 
ers of death and hell. In commemoration of that 
great event, the first day of the week — the Lord's 
day — is set apart, not as a day of rest, but as a day 
of spiritual activity. We find, in Acts of Apostles 
and the Epistles to Christians, many references in- 
dicating that the early Christians regularly assem- 
bled on that day; and that fact, coupled with in- 
junctions to not ' forsake the assembling of your- 
selves together,' gives to the proper observance of 
the first day of the week as much divine authority 
as was ever contained in the command : ' Remem- 
ber the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.' 

" On the first day of the week the Holy Spirit 
descended and sat upon the apostles in tongues of 
living flame, to enable them to tell, in all languages, 
the wondrous story of the resurrection. The church 
of Christ — the regeneration — was, on that day, pre- 
sented to an astonished world. The seventh day, 
blessed and sanctified of God, announced that the 
creation of the material world was finished. The 
Lord's day announced that a new creation was 
complete — a regeneration had come forth, glorious, 
from his hand. The first world was spoken into 
existence by the word of God. The second, won- 
derful to tell, was established by the tears, groans, 
prayers and agonies of God's Son. 

" The Jewish Sabbath was a day of perfect rest. 
The Lord's day is a day of sacred toil, of spiritual 



164 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

work. The observance of the Sabbath by the Jews 
was often,, no doubt, through fear. Our observance 
of the Lord's day should proceed from love to him 
who died for us. Xo day should be more actively 
spent by Christians than the first day of the week. 
They should meet, as the early disciples met, to 
think of, and commemorate, the suffering and. death 
of the Savior. The remaining hours of the day 
should be spent in doing the work he did while on 
earth — soothing the afflicted, teaching the ignorant, 
bringing back the erring to the path of virtue — in 
doing good wheresoever we may. There is no time 
for Christians to rest, while there are souls to save." 

Earnest regard for the Lord's day was character- 
istic of Mrs. Fanning. She understood, no doubt, 
the benefit, to the mental and physical nature, of 
one day of rest in seven — rest that comes through 
change of occupation and relaxation of the strain 
of everyday life. She knew, by experience, that 
proper observance of the Lord's day is a means of 
spiritual, strength and growth, enabling Christians 
to constantly rise to loftier heights of service and 
self-sacrifice. Knowing these truths, she labored to 
impress them upon all who came within the circle 
of her influence, and especially upon the young peo- 
ple under her care. 

In an article on " The First Day of the Week " 
she wrote : 

" ' The first day of the week is not rendered sa- 
cred by positive law, but by the great event it com- 
memorates.' On this morning*, early, when earth 
was waking from its slumbers and life was again 
in motion, the Redeemer of the world rose from the 
chill and gloom of the grave, bringing to man " a 



The Sabbath and the Lord's Day. 165 

blessed hope and promise. He had meekly sub- 
mitted to the power of death, that he might be, in 
all points, like the sons and daughters of men ; that, 
having sorrowed and suffered with them, he should 
know how to comfort them in their weakness. He 
rose from the grave, triumphant over death, bring- 
ing life and light to a lost and sin-darkened world. 

" If his followers love him as they should, they 
are quickened, as the Lord's day returns, week after 
week, by new life, new desires, new hopes ; and, 
beginning the day with tender memories of their 
risen Lord, they will spend it in his service. They 
remember that he was smitten of God and afflicted, 
was bruised and put to grief, was wounded for their 
transgressions. They remember that he hung on 
the cruel cross, his hands and feet torn and bleed- 
ing, his side pierced with a Roman spear, his visage 
marred by the agony of death. They go in spirit 
to his grave, rejoicing anew that death could not 
retain him in its gloom. All who wear his name 
should think of him early, with humble, grateful 
hearts, that when they meet around his table they 
may do so truly in remembrance of him — in re- 
membrance of his love and suffering. 

" The Savior, reigning in heaven, amidst the holy 
angels, must remember the morning on which he 
burst the bonds of death and rose triumphant over 
the grave. He wills that all his followers recall, 
with loving hearts, the events that day commemo- 
rates. ' O, Christian, bowed by the sorrows of 
earth, look up ! He at whose feet angels cast their 
glittering crowns is your Lord, your Savior, your 
high-born kinsman. Your own earth, where he was 
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, is the 
place of his nativity. He looks upon it with love 



166 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

deep and abiding, and is able and willing to save 
to the uttermost all who come to him.' ' 

In another article she wrote : 

" One means of good influence in family life is 
showing reverence for the Lord's day. That day 
may be made the most pleasant of the week, in a 
family trained to love things sacred. If that day 
were always considered in the light of eternity, how 
differently we would spend it ! Parents who claim 
to be Christians, instead of devoting that day, espe- 
cially, to teaching their children the fear and love 
of God, often waste the mornings and most of the 
afternoons in amusement or sleep, allowing their 
children to spend the time in play. It is strange 
that mothers and fathers, knowing the temptations 
that surround their children, do not exert them- 
selves to fill the young minds and hearts committed 
to them with lessons of purity and truth. 

"A pleasant writer commends very highly the 
home life of a family whom she visited for a few 
days, including Saturday and Sunday. Reverence 
for the Lord's day was an important part of the 
home training. The father and mother resolved, 
in the early days of their marriage, that in their 
home the Lord's day should be a day of pleasant- 
ness and peace. They denied themselves fine 
clothes, fine furniture and other fine things not 
really needed, that they might have good books 
and everything else necessary to the cultivation of 
mind and heart. The book most prized and most 
diligently studied in that home, howxver, was the 
Book of books; and each child in the family had a 
copy of that book, printed in good, clear type, and 



The Sabbath and the Lord's Day. 167 

all were encouraged to daily study and obey its 
precepts. 

" On Saturday every possible preparation was 
made to reduce the household work of the next day. 
The house was put in order, meals prepared as far 
as possible, and everything made ready for the 
Lord's day. School books were laid away, and 
Sunday-school lessons were thoroughly and care- 
fully studied. As bedtime drew near, the mother 
asked her children if they were ready for the Lord's 
day — if they had tried to put away all unkind feel- 
ings toward others. ' Mother,' said one of the lit- 
tle boys, ' I went this morning to see Tom Wal- 
ters, who hurt my pig, and we made friends.' 
' I'm glad you settled that difficulty to-day, my son,' 
said his father. ' Most misunderstandings arise 
for want of a few words of explanation, kindly 
given, and we should always seek an explanation 
if we think a friend has injured us.' 

" Early to bed on Saturday night was the rule of 
the household, and early to rise no less the rule for 
Sunday morning. After the plain, simple breakfast 
was over, there was a short service of family wor- 
ship. The father read a lesson from the Bible and 
all knelt in prayer. Then they gathered about the 
piano, the mother played, and all joined in sing- 
ing hymns. The necessary work of the household 
was attended to, and father, mother and children 
prepared to go to the Sunday-morning service at 
church. Reverence for that service and attention 
to its lessons were enjoined upon the children, by 
precept and example ; and the thought was im- 
pressed upon them that the young, as well as the 
old, have God-given duties to perform. 

"After returning home, there was another simple 



168 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

meal, most of which had been prepared the pre- 
vious day. Under the rule, ' Many hands make 
light work,' the few simple tasks of household work 
were quickly disposed of, and there was time for 
recreation. In the afternoon the father read aloud 
an interesting book, and tried to make the time pass 
more pleasantly because of his presence in the 
home. Later in the evening the father or mother 
reviewed with each child the events of the past 
week. Good actions of each were commended, 
faults and mistakes pointed out, and the improve- 
ment made by each received sincere praise. Each 
child was lovingly warned to be on guard during 
the coming week. As bedtime drew near, the fam- 
ily knelt together during an earnest prayer for 
the help that each might need, and the day's duties 
and privileges closed with a hymn of praise and 
thanksgiving. 

" How much better to spend the hours of the 
Lord's day in such a manner than to waste those 
hours in sleep, in visiting, or other amusement, 
forgetful alike of the solemn duties of the day and 
the great event it commemorates ! " 

In another article, entitled " Sunday Visiting," 
Mrs. Fanning, in an imaginary monologue by a 
young girl, presents a very different manner of 
spending the Lord's day — one that is, unfortunately, 
very much in vogue in many communities : 

" ' O, mother, dear,' said a young girl, ' I thought 
yesterday, when we were all working so hard : 
" To-morrow morning I shall have a quiet hour in 
which to study my Bible lesson, so as to know it 
well before we start to Sunday school in the after- 
noon." Last week my teacher said : " I regret 



The Sabbath and the Lord's Day. 169 

deeply that my girls do not study. I fear I am 
doing no good, and the thought saddens me all the 
week." She didn't know I was cooking, all Lord's- 
day morning, for a house full of friends. But it 
will be this afternoon just as it was last Sunday 
afternoon. Look, mother, down the lane ! Don't 
you see Aunt Sally, Uncle John and all the children 
coming this way? There's Tommy with that great 
Newfoundland dog he romps with continually. 
They'll all want their dinner. Aunt Sally likes to 
have a good dinner on Sunday, you know. 

; ' Do all families go visiting on Sunday? You 
never did, mother. When we couldn't go to church 
Sunday morning, you and father stayed at home, 
read and talked to us of the Savior — taught us how 
to become his disciples. How can Aunt Sally's 
children learn to be Christians' and to value the 
Lord's day, when she sets it apart for visiting? 

; ' But I know, mother, you don't like for me to 
find fault with any one. You are sick, and I ought 
not to worry you with such complaints. To help 
you, mother, I'll do the best I can toward getting 
a nice dinner, but I hope the Lord's day will not 
always be set apart for visiting.' 

" By the time the young girl reached that conclu- 
sion, the family that called forth those remarks en- 
tered. Aunt Sally was warm and tired. She called 
for cold water and a fan. In a short time Tommy 
and his dog were romping through the house. The 
family spent the remainder of the day entertaining 
their visitors, and it was not with an anxious desire 
for a repetition of that pleasure that the mistress of 
the house said, as she bade her visitors good-by : 
1 Come again.' If she had spoken her innermost 
thoughts, no doubt she would have added. ' but 



170 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

please choose some other day than the Lord's day 
for your visit.' " 

The tendency of the present time is to utterly dis- 
regard the first day of the week as the Lord's day. 
There has been a reaction from the strict, formal, 
" blue-Presbyterian " observance of " the Sabbath," 
as it was called, that made it a day to be dreaded. 
The pendulum has swung in the opposite direction, 
and, as usual, has swung too far. It, therefore, be- 
hooves Christians — who are " lights in the world " — 
to teach, by their example, the proper regard for 
the day. They can do this only by strict attention 
to the divinely appointed duties of the day, never 
failing to meet with the children of God, for work 
and worship, if it is possible to do so. If you should 
have visitors at the hour for service at the Lord's 
house, invite _them to go with you there. If they 
decline to do so, ask them to remain in your home 
and await your return. Such courteous rebuke 
would soon cure them of the Sunday-visiting habit. 

I heard J. A. Harding say if his father's fu- 
neral should be appointed at the hour for the Lord's- 
day service — the breaking of bread — and he had to 
choose which he should attend, he would attend the 
service of the Lord's house, notwithstanding his 
exceeding love and respect for his father. That 
statement shows what great stress he places upon 
observance of the duties of the Lord's day, but it 
is not more stress than the word of God places upon 
that day's duties. " If the word spoken by angels 
was steadfast, and every transgression and disobe- 
dience received a just recompense of reward, how 
shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" 
The Jew who failed to keep holy the Sabbath day 



The Sabbath and the Lord's Day. 171 

incurred the penalty of death. What shall be the 
condemnation of Christians who constantly disre- 
gard and neglect the duties that devolve upon every 
child of God on the first day of the week? 

In regard to work for that day, Mrs. Fanning 
wrote : 

" It is not the general impression that there is 
work for that day. Many who rise early on other 
days think it is their privilege to sleep late on Sun- 
day morning. Sleeping late makes confusion and 
hurry during the rest of the day, and its hours pass, 
therefore, with but little profit. If there is a day 
on which the disciples of Christ should be early at 
their post of duty, it is his day. Six days he gives 
them to attend to their worldly business, and he 
claims only one. This he claims for their improve- 
ment — that they may commune with him and be 
still — be, for a little while, less careful of the world 
and its anxieties, and turn lovingly to him. 

" We cannot spend the morning hours in sleep, 
rise late without a thought of the Lord, attend to 
home duties and hurry off to hear a sermon and 
to ' break bread,' and feel, at the close of the day, 
that we have derived much spiritual improvement 
from its hours. To be benefited by the public serv- 
ice of the Lord's day, we must rise early, that we 
may have time to remember the Savior and call 
upon him. There can be no love to him in the pub- 
lic service, if we forget him in our homes. Jesus 
came forth from the grave early in the morning, 
and cheered his disciples by his presence. He 
might have deferred his appearance to them till 
eleven or twelve o'clock, but ' while it was yet dark ' 
he stood by them and filled them with joy. 



172 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

" Young Christians, as well as those who are 
older, should be employed on the Lord's day. In- 
stead of visiting or riding about for pleasure on 
that day, they may employ their time in teaching 
children and those less favored than themselves. 
Young brethren who desire to be useful in the 
church should not be content with simply listening 
to sermons on that day. Every Christian has a 
work to do — a work that no one else can do for 
him. He can make his corner of the Lord's vine- 
yard to blossom as the rose, or he can leave it des- 
olate and neglected. If he toils not during the day 
on which his service is particularly required, he 
will, probably, be idle the rest of the week." 

A devout Christian, who wished to do his duty 
every day, wrote: 

" Let me not leave my space of ground untilled, 
Call me not hence with mission unfulfilled. 

" Let me not go before I've done for Thee 
My earthly work, whatever it may be. 

" Impress this truth upon me, that not one 
Can do the portion that I leave undone. 

" For each soul in thy vineyard has a spot 
To labor in for life, and weary not. 

" O, make me useful in this work of Thine, 
In ways according to Thy will, not mine! " 



CHAPTER XIV. 



The Fanning Orphan School. 

The establishment of the Fanning Orphan School 
was the crowning act of Mrs. Fanning's life — the 
culmination of her lifelong effort to do good. As 
it is — and is to be — a fitting monument to her mem- 
ory, it seems meet that a portion of this book should 
be devoted to its establishment, its progress and its 
work. 

When Mrs. Fanning determined to establish the 
school, she selected as trustees to carry out her 
wishes in regard to it : Philip S. Fall, John G. Hous- 
ton, O. T. Craig, J. C. Wharton, Thomas Herrin, 
S. S. Wharton, Dr. J. P. McFarland, A. J. Fan- 
ning, Dr. E. Charlton, C. W. McLester, John R. 
Handly, John A. Ewing and David Lipscomb. Of 
these, David Lipscomb is the only one who is a 
member of the present board, three having resigned 
and nine passed away. The present board consists 
of David Lipscomb, Dr. W. Boyd, Granville Lips- 
comb, W. H. Timmons, J. C. Martin, G. N. Till- 
man, A. Perry, W. H. Dodd, W. S. King, W. V. 
Davidson, J. O. Blaine, George Beasley and E. A. 
Elam. 

A charter for the school was obtained October 
8, 1881; and November 30, 1883, Airs. Fanning 
deeded to the trustees selected the tract of one 
hundred and sixty acres of land on which the old 
Hope Institute building — then sadly in need of re- 
pair — was located. In accord with a condition of 



176 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

her gift, the trustees raised a fund equal to the 
value of the farm and the building. This fund was 
used in repairing and fitting up for occupancy the 
school building, furnishing the farm with stock and 
farming implements, building a farmhouse and 
dairy barn, and relieving from debt another tract 
of land owned by Mrs. Fanning, which land she 
deeded to the school, thereby increasing the size of 
the farm to about three hundred and forty acres. 

In her deed of gift to the trustees, Mrs. Fanning 
thus states the purpose of the school she wished 
to establish: 

" The purpose of this conveyance is to establish 
a school under the patronage and management of 
said corporation, wherein white orphan girls may 
be instructed in books and trained in habits of in- 
dustry. I am a communicant of the church of 
Christ, and I wish every person officially connected 
with the management of this institution to be a 
member in good standing in said church. The 
trustees of said school may admit to the school so 
many destitute orphan girls as the means at their 
command will allow. They are vested with author- 
ity to adopt all needful rules for the government- 
of the school, but I require that the Bible shall be 
made a regular text-book and shall form a part of 
the daily study of all the pupils. ^ The pupils must 
be instructed in household duties, and be required 
to perform services as cooks, laundresses, dairy- 
maids, housekeepers, etc., so that they may earn 
in such employment, if necessary, an independent 
and honest living. The trustees may admit white 
girls, not orphans in destitute circumstances, as 
pupils, on payment of tuition; but no such pupils 
are to be admitted if such an arrangement shall in 



The Fanning Orphan School. Yil 

the least interfere with the training of the destitute 
and orphans, who are the peculiar objects of my 
solicitude." 

The school was permanently organized Febru- 
ary 11, 1884, and opened for pupils the following 
September. It was the intention of the trustees 
to secure as superintendent a man to take charge 
of the school and also look after the dairy, farm, 
etc., and whose wife would act as matron of the 
domestic department. Being unable to find such 
superintendent and matron the first year, they 
placed the school, for that year, under my charge, 
as teacher, with Miss Bettie Holiman as matron. 
Mrs. Fanning was adviser in chief, and Mr. A. J. 
Fanning had general oversight of both farm and 
school. 

The first days of any enterprise are trying days. 
Pioneers in any undertaking have many difficulties 
to overcome. Neither Miss Holiman nor I had had 
any previous experience in, or even observation of, 
the conducting of an industrial school ; and we had 
to " blaze out," as it were, a path through an un- 
tried wilderness. One object of the school being 
training in domestic arts, all the work connected 
with it was to be done by the pupils. About twenty 
day pupils were enrolled, but the orphan school 
proper numbered twelve, varying from that num- 
ber to fifteen during the first session. We sepa- 
rated them into " sets " of two, and the different 
sets did, in turn, each branch of the household 
work — sweeping, cooking, waiting on the table, 
washing dishes, churning, etc. With a view to sys- 
tematizing the work, we so arranged it that each 
set should begin on the second floor of the build- 
ing and " work down " — that is, do the sweeping 



178 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

of the second story one day, that on the main floor, 
the next day, then into the basement, to spend one 
day as cooks, another as waitresses, dish washers, 
milkmaids, etc., respectively, and then back to the 
second story, to begin another descent through the 
various departments of domestic work. 

Miss Holiman was an excellent housekeeper, and 
gave each division of the housekeeping department 
her close attention. I looked after the literary de- 
partment. Mrs. Fanning gave each of us — both 
former students of Hope Institute — the benefit of 
her experience, and Mr. A. J. Fanning kept every- 
thing " straight." The school went on smoothly, 
without clash or confusion, and was, indeed, not 
so much like a school as like a large family of girls, 
doing cheerfully and happily the work of a house- 
hold, their common home. 

In the summer of 1885 the trustees elected as 
superintendent and matron Mr. and Mrs. J. S. 
Hammon. The school increased in numbers greatly 
during that year. More free pupils were admitted ; 
and parents and guardians, realizing the superiority 
of such a school over the ordinary boarding schools, 
sent their children or wards there. In some in- 
stances congregations of Christians sent orphan 
girls to the school to be trained to usefulness and 
independence. As the school increased in number, 
the number of girls in the various " sets " was in- 
creased; and under Mrs. Hammon's management, 
changes in the routine of work were made weekly 
instead of daily. 

In the fall of 1886 David Lipscomb, Jr., and wife 
were elected superintendent and matron. Under 
their management, changes in the routine of work 
were made every two weeks, and the work is still 



The Fanning Orphan School. 179 

conducted upon that system. No day pupils were 
allowed during that session or for many years 
thereafter. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lipscomb were succeeded, in 1893, 
by W. L. Hill and wife. The school continued to 
move on quietly and smoothly, still increasing in 
numbers and doing good and efficient work. 

In 1895 Mr. and Mrs. Hill resigned, and H. L. 
Chiles and wife were elected superintendent and 
matron, respectively. It was during the four years 
of their administration that Mrs. Fanning passed 
away. 

In 1899 David Lipscomb, Jr., and wife again took 
charge of the school, and it is still under their effi- 
cient management. 

Changes and improvements have been made in 
the various departments, from time to time, as 
larger experience dictated, the growth of the school 
demanded, and increased means justified. The 
school increased in numbers steadily during the 
first few years of its existence, and then for a pe- 
riod of twelve or fifteen years the number of pupils 
varied little. The building could accommodate 
only the superintendent's family, the teachers, and 
about forty girls ; and it was crowded, each year, 
to its utmost capacity. 

In 1902 the trustees decided to erect a larger 
building to meet the demands of the school. A 
site about two hundred yards west of the old Hope 
Institute building was selected, and the erection of 
a larger building immediately begun. It was com- 
pleted in 1904, and the school removed to it. The 
old building still remains, but is unoccupied. 

The school is well situated for its purpose. It 
is located about five miles from Nashville, on the 



180 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Couchville Road, one mile from its junction with 
the Murfreesboro pike — far enough from the city to 
escape the distractions and evil influences of city- 
life. It is surrounded by its three hundred and* 
forty acres of field and woodland. In front of the 
building extends a grassy lawn, shaded by tall 
trees. Just back of the building is a perennial 
spring, with a large stone springhouse above, and 
only a short distance beyond is a pool that is used 
as a baptistery. 

The new building is a modern three-story struc- 
ture, conveniently arranged for the purpose for 
which it was constructed, well ventilated, and fur- 
nished with fire escapes. In the basement is the 
laundry, which is fitted up with hot and cold water 
pipes, sinks, stationary washtubs and other con- 
veniences. The main floor is occupied by the re- 
ception rooms, the chapel (which is forty by sixty 
feet), the dining room (forty by forty feet), and 
the kitchen, pantry, etc., in the rear. The second 
and third stories are used as bedrooms. Wide 
halls extend throughout the building on every floor, 
and on the east of the dining room and kitchen is 
a long veranda. 

Mrs. Fanning's wishes in regard to the training 
of the pupils are carried out. The instruction in 
literary branches is thorough, and the girls are also 
trained in the various departments of household 
work. They are taught to sew, wash, iron, keep 
their rooms — and, indeed, the entire house — in 
order, and to properly care for milk and butter. 
All household work is done under the supervision 
of a competent matron. The Bible is studied daily 
as a text-book, and all pupils are required, unless 
excused because of sickness, to attend the Sunday- 



The Fanning Orphan School. 



181 



morning church services held in the chapel. Be- 
sides that service, there is frequently a sermon on 
Sunday morning and at night, and sometimes at 
night during the week. 

The school has been in operation twenty-two 
years. It has increased from the twelve original 
pupils to ninety — its enrollment during the spring 
term of 1906. The old, inconvenient building has 
been superseded by a new, commodious building, 
with modern conveniences and comforts ; and im- 
provements in the management of the school, the 
farm and the dairy have kept pace with the growth 
of the school. 

During the twenty-two years of its existence 
more than two hundred girls have been enrolled as 
pupils and received the advantages of its training. 
Some remained there for terms of three, four or 
five years, and reaped lasting benefit from instruc- 
tion in both the schoolroom and the domestic de- 
partment. Its students have gone out into the 
world well prepared for whatever duties life has 
brought to them. Their ability as housekeepers 
forcibly demonstrates the superiority of their train- 
ing over the training received in the fashionable 
boarding schools of the land, whose graduates often 
possess many showy accomplishments, but are 
sadly ignorant of the practical, useful knowledge 
of housekeeping and home making that every 
woman should possess. 



CHAPTER XV. 



The Roll of Honor. 

" The test of a pudding is in the eating," and the 
test of the good accomplished by a school is the 
work done by its pupils after their training time in 
the school has ended and they are making prac- 
tical use of the lessons learned therein. That the 
Fanning Orphan School may be tried by that test, 
fdiis book should contain biographies of some of its 
pupils who assimilated the lessons taught them there 
and are carrying out in their everyday lives the 
principles they imbibed at the school. To that end, 
when the book was being prepared, inquiries were 
made, letters written and records searched — infor- 
mation sought in various ways — to learn as much 
as possible of the after life of the girls who have 
received training at the school. 

Material for such a chapter was found in abun- 
dance in the lives of former pupils of the school 
who have made good teachers, business women, 
stenographers or clerks. They have entered many 
of the departments of the business world usually 
occupied by women, and, as a rule, fill, with marked 
ability, the positions they occupy. In my search 
for information along this line I asked a friend — 
a woman of kind heart, sound judgment and thor- 
ough knowledge of the school and its pupils — about 
the work of one of my " girls," telling her what use 
I expected to make of the information. She told 
me how well that girl — or woman — fills the place 



184 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

she holds, and agreed with me that her work de- 
serves commendation. Then she added: "And 

there's little . She hasn't done anything but 

raise a large family of nice girls and boys ; but I 
think she deserves mention, too." 

That remark turned my thoughts into a new 
channel and made a material change in the chapter 
designed to be a sort of " Roll of Honor," contain- 
ing the names of those whose work is worthy of 
mention. 

Most people who give the subject serious thought 
will admit that training children is the work of the 
world — the most important of all work; and those 
who have had experience along that line realize 
that it is the most difficult work in the world. That 
being true, the woman who rears " a large family 
of nice girls and boys " has done, and done well, 
an important and difficult work; and among the 
biographies of the girls who have been trained at 
the Fanning Orphan School should appear the 
names of not only those who have done good work 
in the business world, but also those who have 
chosen wifehood and motherhood as their portion, 
and are successfully pursuing that line of work. 

The lives of these quiet " keepers at home " are 
not always appreciated at their full value. It is 
true our preachers preach, our authors write and 
our wise men — and women, too — talk, of " woman's 
true sphere, the homer Her work as wife and 
mother is declared to be the noblest and grandest 
work she can do. Higher authority than even our 
wise men and women, our authors or our preachers, 
has set the stamp of approval on home life for 
women. Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 
wrote : " I will therefore that the younger women 



The Boll of Honor. 185 

marry, bear children, guide the house, give none 
occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully." 
(1 Tim. 5 : 14.) But notwithstanding all this, when 
considering the work of an institution as exhibited 
in the lives of its students, we almost invariably give 
prominence to those women who have succeeded 
in some line of public work, passing unnoticed 
many who have succeeded in the more difficult line 
of home work. Our general preaching and our spe- 
cial application should be in better accord. 

Occasionally, however, we find an appreciation of 
woman's home work in a quarter where it is least 
expected. Not long ago about two hundred mem- 
bers of a club for women in one of the Central 
States were asked the question : " Who is the great- 
est woman in history?" The various answers in- 
cluded names of women whose commanding intel- 
lect, personal charm or self-sacrificing labors have 
made them famous the world over. Yet the prize 
answer — the answer that was considered best of 
all — held the name of none of those famous women. 
It was this : " The wife of a man of moderate means, 
who does her own coofing, washing and ironing, 
brings up a large family of girls and boys to be 
useful members of society, and finds time for her 
own intellectual and moral improvement, is the 
greatest woman in all our history." 

I would not depreciate the work of women who 
labor outside the home as breadwinners for them- 
selves and those dependent upon them. A woman 
cannot always choose her environment, nor is she 
altogether responsible for the -errors of the age in 
which she lives. She must simply make the best 
of the circumstances that surround her and do the 
duty that seems to lie nearest her hand. Hence, 



186 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

the woman who bravely takes a place among the 
workers of the outside world, when it becomes 
necessary for her to do so, thanking God for ability 
and opportunity to be a breadwinner, is to be com- 
mended and encouraged. 

Such a life is, however, in some measure, a rever- 
sion of " the natural way of living," God's order 
being: the husband, the bread provider; the wife, 
the bread divider. Social conditions that en- 
courage, lead or force women into public life are 
to be deplored. Such conditions do not tend to the 
best development of the race. Women who have 
chosen to be housekeepers and home makers have 
chosen well, and are doing certainly a not less im- 
portant work than those who work outside the 
home. On my " Honor Roll," therefore, the bread 
providers and the bread dividers shall each receive 
their meed of praise ; and if the latter outnumber the 
former, that fact should be hailed as a token of a 
better day dawning, when women shall recognize 
and choose, when the choice is theirs, their high- 
est and best sphere of work. 

One of the girls who attended the first session of 
the Fanning Orphan School and was there several 
years has developed into a fine business woman. 
The death of her husband soon after their marriage 
and the need of occupation — not pecuniary need, 
but need of something to occupy her mind in her 
loneliness — caused her to enter business. She filled 
the place she secured with marked ability, and has 
risen steadily until she is one of the largest stock- 
holders in the corporation that first gave her em- 
ployment and one of the most important factors in 
its success. She is a broad-minded, generous- 



The Boll of Honor. 187 

hearted woman, who fills an important place, and 
fills it well. 

One of her schoolmates is the little woman who 
has reared " a large family of nice girls and boys." 
Her husband's business takes him away from home 
the greater part of the time. Hence, she has filled, 
in a measure, the place of both father and mother 
to the family. She has been busy twenty years. 
She has kept the wheels of her household machin- 
ery oiled and running smoothly; has baked and 
brewed and sewed and swept; has fed and clothed 
and taught and disciplined her children. She has 
tried to instill into their hearts honor and truth and 
independence. Her children will, one by one, leave 
their home, to enter homes of their own. If her 
boys make honest, industrious, God-fearing, God- 
serving men ; if her girls fill in their homes the place 
she fills in hers, what an influence that woman will 
have wielded ! Many lives will reflect her charac- 
ter, and eternity alone can measure her work. 

One of the girls, after completing the course of 
instruction at the school, acted as assistant matron 
there several years. She filled the place to the 
entire satisfaction of those in charge ; but finally a 
sturdy young man persuaded her to keep house for 
him and look after his comfort, instead of training 
forty or more girls in household duties. She does 
not seem to have ever regretted her decision. She 
is a model housewife, and finds her truest happi- 
ness within the circle of her own home. Instead 
of the forty girls she once looked after, she has only 
one small daughter to instruct, and that little girl 
bids fair to be as notable a housekeeper as her 
mother is. 

Another holds a responsible position in a large 



188 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

factory. She inspects each week thousands of gar- 
ments made in the establishment where she is em- 
ployed, and her decisions are accepted without 
question by her employers. They rely absolutely 
on her judgment. Her position requires tact and 
firmness. On one hand, fidelity to her employers 
forbids her " passing " work that is not up to the 
required standard ; on the other hand, sympathy 
for the workers will not allow her to condemn work 
that will at all meet the requirements of the busi- 
ness. She must be patient and painstaking in in- 
structing those who need instruction ; tactful, to 
avoid giving offense when work must be con- 
demned. She fills a difficult place, and fills it so 
well that she has the good will of her fellow-work- 
ers and the respect and confidence of her employers. 
She is developing, in that training school, quali- 
ties that make her a successful teacher of the class 
of young girls to whom she teaches the Bible on 
Lord's days. 

One girl who was trained at the Fanning Orphan 
School I remember as always joyous and happy — 
never sad, never gloomy, but always cheerful and 
smiling. A few months ago I met her husband, 
and with him was a rosy-cheeked girl, in whose 
smiling face I saw something familiar. I asked 
about " my girl," and her husband said : " She's 
just the same — always bright and happy. Her 
unfailing cheerfulness has helped us over many 
a hard place, and I'm glad to say our children are 
all like her — always in a good humor." The world 
is full of sickness and sadness and sorrow, and the 
ability to radiate sunshine is a gift that ought to 
be appreciated and cultivated. That woman has 
not only gladdened her own home by her sunny 



The Boll of Honor. 189 

spirit, but she has transmitted to her children the 
power to radiate gladness, and thus blessed the 
world fourfold. 

Another girl — one who always furnished the sono- 
rous bass at our evening concerts — has been a wife 
and mother many years. She has been hampered 
and hindered by delicate health, but has patiently 
borne illness and suffering and struggled hard to 
make a happy home for her husband and children. 
It might be questioned whether she did well to as- 
sume the duties of wife and mother ; but when I 
observe her husband's tender solicitude for her, her 
children's thoughtful care for " mother's " comfort, 
I realize what a good influence she has wielded in 
her family, and how even her ill health has been a 
means of developing, in husband and children, many 
fine and rare traits of character. 

One of the graduates of the school is in business 
in a small town in Alabama. She is an earnest 
worker in the church. There was no congregation 
of Christians — " Christians and nothing more " — in 
the town, and she and her mother anxiously desired 
to have the gospel in its purity preached there. She 
herself paid the expenses of a preacher to go there 
and conduct a series of meetings. Two such meet- 
ings were held ; and then she bought, with her own 
earnings, a large lot, and, with the help of Chris- 
tians in other communities, built thereon a neat, 
convenient house of worship and arranged for a 
series of meetings by the same gospel preacher who 
had previousy preached there. There is now in 
that town a band of earnest disciples striving to 
carry on the work of the Lord — as a result of the 
efforts of one young missionary. She has accom- 
plished this, too, without going beyond, in the 



190 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

slightest degree, the limits laid down in the word 
of God for " woman's work in the church." 

One of the girls who has chosen the quiet path 
in life presides over a pleasant home — a home of 
ease and plenty. She " looks well to the ways of 
her household." She is training her only son wisely 
and well. She says : " I want him to regard me as 
his comrade, his chum." They take long walks and 
drives together, searching for geological specimens 
and curiosities of the natural world. He helps her 
in her household work, that she may have time for 
their rambles. He is developing tastes that will 
be useful to him all his life. He may, or may not, 
be a great naturalist, but the intelligent interest he 
takes in the world of nature will make him a wiser 
and better man. She gains health and strength 
from the outdoor exercise, and both gain a sweet 
sense of companionship and mutual confidence. 

One of " the girls " — bright and intelligent — 
cherished ambitious dreams of her future. She in- 
tended to develop her talents to the utmost and 
" make a mark " in the world. Like most of her 
companions, however, she at last cast in her lot 
among the home makers. Her ambitious dreams 
have not been realized. Her husband has not been 
successful, according to the " money " measure — 
and with many that is the only measure — of success. 
She has met with unnumbered disappointments, 
and has had a long, hard struggle with poverty — 
poverty as compared with the luxuries she once 
enjoyed. To many her life may seem a failure, but 
she has developed in ways she never dreamed of in 
her care-free girlhood. Her tongue has learned the 
law of kindness and patience. She is a judicious, 
loving, thoughtful mother, and strives earnestly to 






The Roll of Honor. 191 

instill into the hearts of her children principles of 
truth and honor and right living. They show many 
of her best traits of character, and in their success 
she may yet realize some of the ambitious dreams 
of her own youth. Be that as it may, she has made 
a brave fight with poverty, disappointment and hu- 
miliation. She has maintained a courageous spirit 
throughout the long battle — a battle fought in si- 
lence, without the blare of trumpets or the inspir- 
ing music of brass bands. Any woman who meets 
such trials and keeps her voice low, her heart hope- 
ful and her spirit sweet, is a conqueror. The world 
may not recognize her worth, but her husband and 
her children " arise up, and call her blessed," and 
truer praise than that no woman can have. 

Many others might be mentioned on the " Roll 
of Honor " — some who have made successful teach- 
ers or business women, many more who are looking 
well to the ways of households and training little 
children. I know of at least two who, as soon as 
they completed the course at the school, immedi- 
ately began to earn money — one as a milliner, the 
other as a teacher — to send younger sisters and 
brothers to school. That is just what they should 
have done, of course; but when we reflect that to 
do this they must give close, diligent attention to 
work and make daily sacrifices of things dear to the 
hearts of girls, we can see the beauty of their self- 
sacrifice, and must acknowledge that they deserve 
honorable mention, notwithstanding they may not 
be known outside their own little circle of friends. 

No doubt many of these girls would have acted 
well their part, had they been trained elsewhere 
than at the Fanning Orphan School. No doubt the 
school has enrolled some pupils whose lives do not 



192 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

reflect credit upon their training. But the fact that 
so many of the number enrolled are living useful, 
busy, helpful lives — some as wage earners, many 
more in quiet, well-ordered homes — is a strong ar- 
gument for the good the school has done and is 
doing. I am sure no girl has ever attended the 
school for any length of time without reaping some 
benefit therefrom and being better prepared for the 
duties that have fallen to her lot. Its influence in 
developing domestic tastes and habits in its pupils 
is especially strong. 

Mrs. Fanning desired that the school should exert 
just such an influence. She believed, and taught, 
that the highest and holiest place a woman can fill 
is that of wife and mother. She realized that train- 
ing in domestic matters is a very important part 
of a woman's education, and that no woman is pre- 
pared for the duties of life — whether she is des- 
tined to occupy a palace or a very humble cottage — 
without such training. She desired that all pupils 
who should be admitted to the school should re- 
ceive thorough training in domestic arts, as well 
as in literary departments ; and the fact that most 
of the students who have received training at the 
school are giving their attention to domestic du- 
ties demonstrates her wisdom in founding such a 
school. 

You may not recognize the. characters I have 
drawn upon this " Roll of Honor." The originals 
may not recognize their own portraits, for we do 
not always see ourselves as others see us. The 
pictures are true to life, however, in every particu- 
lar, as I see the lives faintly photographed herein. 
They are fair samples of the lives of many students 
who have received training at the Fanning Orphan 



The Roll of Honor. 193 

School. The majority of these students are Chris- 
tian women, wielding an influence toward the bet- 
terment of the world. Any one life, be it ever so 
exemplary, seems powerless to reduce the sum of 
human suffering and wrongdoing; but the influ- 
ence of such a life spreads in ever-widening circles, 
and every soul that constantly strives to be more 
Christlike wields an immeasurable power for good, 
for 

"No life 
Can be pure in its purpose and strong in its strife 
And all life not be purer and stronger thereby." 



Lost Names. 

" Those women which labored with me in the gospel, 
. . . and with other my fellow-laborers, whose names 
are in the book of life." (Phil. 4: 2.) 

They lived, and they were useful. This we know, 

And naught beside; 
No record of their names is left to show 

How soon they died. 
They did their work, and then they passed away, 

An unknown band, 
And took their places with the greater host 
- In higher land. 

And were they j'onng, or were they growing old, 

Or ill, or well, 
Or lived in poverty, or had much gold, 

No one can tell. 
Only one thing is known of them: they were 

Faithful and true 
Disciples of the Lord, and strong through prayer 

To dare and do. 

But what avails the gift of empty fame? 

Thev lived to God. 
They loved the sweetness of the Savior's name, 

And gladly trod 



194 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

The rugged ways of earth, that they might be 

Helper or friend, 
And in the joy of their sweet ministry 

Be spent and spend. 

No glory clusters round their names on earth, 

But in God's heaven 
Is kept a book of names of greatest worth, 

And there is given 
A place for all who did the Master please, 

Although unknown; 
And there lost names shine forth in brightest rays 

Before the throne. 

O, take who will the boon of fading fame: 

But give to me 
A place among the workers, though my name 

Forgotten be; 
And if within the book of life is found 

My lowly place, 
Honor and glory unto God redound 

For all his grace. 

— Marianne Farningham. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Conclusion. 

Mrs. Fanning was a lover of nature. She wrote 
often of the beauty of earth in varying hours and 
seasons ; and whatsoever the hour or the season, 
her thoughts seemed to rise naturally " from na- 
ture up to nature's God." 

At the morning hour she wrote : "Another day is 
dawning on a world still wrapped in sleep. The 
light of day is softly spreading over the earth, the 
air is cool and refreshing, the flowers are rich with 
dewy fragrance. All is still, save the birds. They 
are waking from the quiet repose of night, and 
notes of liquid melody are gushing forth. The 
quiet sweetness of the dawn leads us to look up 
with thanksgiving for the beauty and freshness of 
earth. Like David, we should say : ' My voice thou 
shalt hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning 
will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look 
up.' " 

Of the evening she wrote : " The shadows of twi- 
light are about us with rich clouds that wait on the 
dying day. Night, with a network of stars around 
her brow, softly lets down, her curtains, and the 
silent hour soothes weary souls, after the hurry and 
bustle of day. Dear ones sit together, and their 
voices grow soft and sweet, as they speak of this 
life and the life to come. The cords that bind earth 
to heaven — the ties of faith and love, of earnest 



198 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

prayer and praise — are woven in gleam and gloom, 
but they seem to bring our heavenly home nearer 
at the twilight hour. If we kept the thought of 
that home in our hearts morning, noon and night, 
we should be better and happier. There would be 
more of gleam and less of gloom in our lives if we 
would only lift our hearts oftener to our Father's 
home, where there is no twilight, no gloom, no 
night." 

On the coming of spring she wrote : "A wonder- 
ful power is at work, covering the dark branches 
with verdure and bringing a softer green to the 
pine fringe. The oak has not yet begun to stir 
himself, but the maple has ' a rain of blossoms on 
the forest floor.' The wintry chain that has bound 
the founts and streams is loosed, and, melting into 
liquid diamonds, they flash on their way in light 
and music. The heart rises to Him who rules the 
year, who is touching every bough and hidden root, 
waking all to life and beauty. Among his gifts of 
love are flowers. He inspires their odor, bathes 
them with dew, gives them their colors, folds and 
unfolds the tender germs with art inimitable. We 
can see the Creator's hand in all things grand or 
beautiful — from the tall forest tree to the smallest 
blade of grass. We note the touch of the Master's 
unrivaled pencil on every bud and flower, on every 
leaf and spray of beauty. We enjoy the flowers, 
the sunlight and the pleasant breezes, knowing 
that our Father is smiling on his works and mak- 
ing them fresh and fair for his children." 

Of autumn and winter she wrote: 

" These sweet autumn mornings incline us to 



Conclusion. 



199 



look with gratitude and love to our Father in 
heaven. The pure, bracing air; the sunlight, like 
the smile of a Father upon his children ; the 
snatches of bird song bursting now and then from 
trees clothed with crimson and gold, every year 
give new pleasure. The falling leaves remind us 
that autumn has come again ; remind us that we, 
too, like the leaves of the forest, must quit the 
homes we have loved and lie down in the dust. 

" Winter will soon follow — winter, that sends 
soft white sleep and silence over all. There is now 
a sweetness in the face of nature that points to 
the past rather than the future. We think of those 
who were with us in early years, who loved, as we 
love, the woods and all woodland things. Where 
are they? Some have lain down to the long sleep; 
others, like the autumn leaves, are scattered, we 
know not where. 'We call; they answer not 
again.' Our treasures pass away. Those who 
once shared our sorrows and our joys, whose every 
look and tone were linked to ours, whose voices 
were so familiar that they seemed almost like our 
own, have passed away. Hands we clasped are 
folded on quiet hearts ; lips we loved are turned to 
dust; eyes that beamed on us have closed on earth 
to open in heaven. Few with whom we com- 
menced the journey of life are left to our compan- 
ionship, and a lonelier hour still is on its way — an 
hour wherein shall be no human companionship. 
But — O ! — there is an Arm, not of flesh, upon which 
we may lean with perfect trust as all of earth 
passes away and the world of eternity breaks upon 
our view." 

''Thou, too, wast forsaken! Thy lonelier cry- 
Sent a wider appeal through the darkening sky. 



200 The Life Work of Mrs. Charlotte Fanning. 

Alone on the mountain, the garden, the cross, 

Thou hast felt all humanity's anguish and loss. 

My sorrows have touched Thee, my woes have been 

Thine. 
Give help to my weakness, thou Helper divine." 

The last article published from her pen was writ- 
ten in December, 1894. Its spirit of devotion to 
our Savior is the spirit of all her writings, and I 
think this book cannot close more fittingly than 
with that, her last message to the world: "Let this 
month, and all the coming months, oe Christ's." 

" The last month of the year 1894 is rapidly pass- 
ing — will soon be buried in the grand depths of the 
world eternal, from whose wondrous ages no res- 
urrection will again be called forth to life or death, 
in time or eternity. If the young could be made 
to realize the value of the passing hour, how many 
young souls would come to the feet of the Savior — 
would remember him in the bloom of their youth, 
before the evil days come and the sorrowful years 
draw nigh, before much care or suffering should 
fall to their lot ! Yes, happy would it be for many 
of these bright young beings to come to the Savior 
at his early summons. Then they might learn of 
him — learn to have less of awe and more of love ior 
him — might come to him as to a dear friend. 

" It is a training for them to constantly lift their 
thoughts and desires from the passing things of 
earth to things above. It enables them to imitate 
the perfect model he has given. They learn from 
his holy word that, when on earth, he was pure and 
undefiled; that he never did an injury, never re- 
sented one, never uttered an untruth, never prac- 
ticed deception, never lost an opportunity of doing 



Conclusion. 201 

good, never spoke an unkind word. He was gener- 
ous to the selfish, holy among the impure, loving 
and gentle to all. He yearned over all human be- 
ings with deathless love. He knew their capacity 
for enjoyment, the terrible punishment to which 
sin had doomed them, and he loved them well 
enough to shed his life's blood for their redemp- 
tion. He wishes all who love him, young or old, 
to come to him as their best friend — to let perfect 
love cast out all fear — and he ever lives to make 
intercession for them. 

" He went to his Father in humble prayer. In 
the deep recesses of the forest dale, on the wild 
mountain side, his supplications constantly arose. 
Xo doubt heaviness often oppressed his soul. He 
often felt the need of near communion with his 
Father. His gift of strength was sometimes wasted 
by the spirit's weariness. In the dark night of his 
betrayal he left his friends and went ' a little on.' 
In silence, alone with God, he fell upon his face, 
and his agony was greater than the Son of man 
could bear. He gave his sorrow sway, and in the 
deep prostration of his soul breathed out : ' Fa- 
ther, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.' 
A holy one bowed down to him and nerved him 
with a ministry of strength. He returned to his 
disciples, for the one who should betray him was 
at hand. His mighty heart, that in Gethsemane 
sweat drops of blood — the heart whose breaking 
cord upon the cross made earth to tremble and 
the sun grow dark — bore our load of sin. He took 
for us the cup that might not pass. Our hearts, our 
lives, our all, should be devoted to his service. 

" Let this month, and all the coming months, be 
Christ's." 



FEB 28 1907 



